who cares for your pets when you cant

Who Cares for your Pets when you can’t?

who cares for your pets when you cant

In Australia pets cannot own property, because pets are themselves regarded as property.

This means that – unlike children – there are no automatic laws relating to the care and custody of our beloved pets if we die or become incapacitated.

Whilst the rules around child custody are clear, it’s not the same for pets. Pets aren’t mentioned in any succession or family legislation at all and it is left to the Courts to decide who gets the family pet.

Genders and Partners

Wills and Estate Planning Adelaide: More Adelaide Pet Owners Include Animals in Their Wills

Genders and Partners

Senior lawyer specialising in estate planning and Wills in Adelaide.

Rod Genders from Genders and Partners, the oldest law firm in South Australia, says that state law does not permit animals to be direct beneficiaries of a Will, as the law regards the animals themselves as property.

However, caring pet owners can leave money for their pets in pet trusts with provisions for how it is to be spent on the pet.

As our population ages and fewer couples have children, there has been an attitude shift where many people have come to view their animals less as pets and more as members of the family.