F21 M20: How to leave a relationship when you share a dog?
Hi everyone! Looking for some advice for someone close to me. I'm going to call her Lucy. So Lucy has been in a relationship with someone that has been emotionally and physically abusive in the past, and while the relationship has gotten better, the feelings are fading away and Lucy doesn't feel like she loves her SO anymore and has realized she needs to leave. The issue is that they have a dog together and she is VERY attached to this dog. Techically, the boyfriend is the main owner of the dog and Lucy is the co-owner, and multiple times in the past the boyfriend has said that Lucy will not take the dog, even though he does not care for the dog, the dog doesn't even like him, and in the past when Lucy has left, the dog has stopped eating and became depressed. It's clear that his statements of Lucy not being able to take the dog is just a way to hurt her, as it is obvious he doesn't care for the dog.
This may be a lot or even sporadic, so my apologies, just curious what others in this situation have done in the past :/. Lucy needs out of this relationship but has stayed so many times as she can't leave her dog.