A court in Argentina has issued a joint custody ruling in a groundbreaking case of two dogs whose owners have divorced, the former couple's lawyer said recently.

In the first case of its kind in Argentina, a family court in San Isidro in the Buenos Aires region determined custody and visitation rights for canines Kiara, 9, and Popeye, 6.

They are the dogs of Amorina Abascoy, 47 and her ex-husband Emmanuel Medina, 42, who were married for 15 years and had no children.

Under the ruling, Popeye will live with Abascoy and Kiara with Medina, their lawyer told reporters. They will sometimes swap homes.

Other details of the ruling were not divulged, including how it deals with disagreements over the dogs' feeding regimen.