Providing For Your Pet’s Future Without You

Your pet is more than just an animal that lives in your home. They are a family member, a companion, a friend. Here’s how to ensure your pet will be provided for no matter what the future looks like.

When we think about planning for an uncertain future, we often consider making or updating our Will, or arranging Lasting Powers of Attorney, or setting money aside for our children. But what about the friend and companion that we probably spend most of our time with – our pet?

Take a moment to think about what would happen to your pet if something happened to you? Because pets usually have shorter life spans than their human carers, you may have planned for your animal friend’s passing; but what if you are the one who becomes ill or incapacitated, or dies first?

If you make no prior arrangements for your pet’s care and you’re unable to provide that care, you risk your pet becoming homeless, neglected, abused, or even destroyed. Just assuming that friends or relatives will step in to provide a home may put your pet in danger.

As a responsible pet owner, you provide your pet with food and water, shelter, veterinary care, and love. To ensure that your pet will continue to receive this care should something unexpected happen to you, it’s critical to plan ahead.

If you want to ensure your pet will be properly looked after, ideally you need to find someone who is ready and willing to give your pet a home.

Choose someone who is prepared for the responsibility, familiar with your pet, and (most importantly) truly wants to adopt your pet. In case the original caregiver backs out of the arrangement, you might want to designate a backup as well.

You know your pet better than anybody else and that knowledge needs to survive if you die. Your pets will be experiencing grief and abandonment so what can you do to ease their suffering?

Knowing that you’ve made arrangements in advance can give you peace of mind, and ensure that your pet has as smooth a transition as possible to it’s new home.

Alternatively, should you be unable to find a suitable home, the RSPCA provide a free ‘Home for Life’ service should your pets outlive you. You simply have to include wording in your Will, passing care of your pets to the RSPCA. This will cover all animals you come to own throughout your lifetime, not just your current pets. For more information visit www.homeforlife.org.uk.

No one can know the future. Even the youngest or healthiest of us are vulnerable to accidents. A little planning can provide some peace of mind – knowing that whatever happens to you, your pets will be just fine. Our team at Woolley, Beardsley’s and Bosworth can help you amend your Will to include a plan for your beloved pets. Get in touch today to find out more.

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