Caring for your Pet in Australia

If you love your pet you should make plans for them if something should happen to you.

An obvious solution would be to ask a friend or relative to take care of them. Of course you need to okay it with them first, and then let everyone know your plan. You can add a note to your Will, but of course your Will may not be read for many days after you pass away, so you cannot rely on that - your poor pet may have starved by then.

If you don't have a friend or relative who would be able to take in your beloved pet, then you need to look to a professional organisation for help.

In Australia these organisations tend to be state based.

Queensland

RSPCA Qld's Pet Legacy Program is available to anyone who has included a bequest to RSPCA Qld in their Will. Pets registered in this program can be looked after by the RSPCA should their owner need to go into hospital etc, and they will re-home the pets into an appropriate loving home in the case of their owner passing away or having to go into care. They estimate that this service costs a minimum of $5000 per animal for their lifetime, but of course depends on animal type, age, health etc.

People who wish to go ahead with the Pet Legacy Program, need them to fill out enrolment forms for their pets.

If you would like any more information about the Bequest and Pet Legacy programs, you can find details on their website: Click here for more info' This website also contains suggested Will Wording.

Tasmania

RSPCA Tasmania has a Pet Legacy program (Click here for more info') where they register animals in bequests that are left to the RSPCA. As often unwanted animals come to them this is a way of recording the animal's vet history etc. which helps them offer the animal the best chance to be rehomed.

In Tasmania it is a goal to rehome each animal, whereas in Victoria they offer foster services for the life of the animal.

New South Wales

The RSPCA NSW provides a Pet Legacy program for Testators wishing to provide for their beloved companions should they predecease them. Please contact the Bequest Department and speak to a Legacy Officer for a full disclosure of costs and conditions. To ensure your pet(s) receive the best care possible, the Bequests Department needs to have their details before coming into the Legacy facility. A condition of the Legacy program is pet pre-registration.

Click here for more info'

Other States

We did contact organisations from all Australian states and territories. Not all of them bothered to reply.