14 DAY TRIAL // Strangely enough, one of the most disputed things in a bitter divorce has been statistically proven to be the family dog, or dogs, as both parties usually claim they have a bigger right of ownership than the other. Newly divorced Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith prove that they may be famous, but they're still part of the statistics.
TMZ reports that the two actors have chosen to file for divorce on June 6 after 18 years of marriage, but they're not squabbling over the millions of dollars or some expensive mansion, they're bickering over who gets the family's three dogs.
The couple does have a daughter, Stella, but her custody won't be an issue because she's going to turn 18 in just a couple of months, in September actually, so she'll be able to make her own decision at that time regarding with whom she wants to stick around, her mother or her father.
But if the daughter is more than capable of making that decision for herself, the same can't be said about the three dogs Antonio and Melanie have together. An insider with the family disclosed that Melanie is determined to keep the terrier mix and the two shepherd Labrador mixes that they adopted last February.
The same insider indicates that the dogs would be in better care if they wound up with Melanie, and that she is very partial to them, and probably that's why she's fighting to get to keep them. But since nothing in life is fair, it's all going to come down to who has the better lawyer.
Antonio and Melanie have been one of the very few Hollywood couples that managed to stay together for almost 20 years, which can be compared to centuries in the fast-moving world of entertainment. Back in the day, they got a lot of people rooting for them, praising the fact that they've managed to stick together for so long.
It all came crashing down at the beginning of the month, when they filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. In the legal documents, Griffith asked for child support, sole physical and joint legal custody for Stella (though that would only last until September) and spousal support.
As far as the press could tell, the divorce was amicable, although this dog issue could throw a spanner in the works, but only if Antonio is partial to keeping the family dogs all for himself.
Melanie Griffith should know what she's doing, since this is her fourth divorce. She was previously married to Don Johnson (twice!) and later to Steve Bauer. For Banderas, however, it's still a new experience, since this is only his second divorce.