Who will care for your pets when you die?
Planning for pets in your will starts with a willing carer and a backup. Your estate plan should address who receives your pets and how their care will be funded. Keep separate, accessible instructions for immediate care, because someone may need to feed, collect or medicate your pets before the will is located.
When you think about making a will, your home, savings and family usually come first. Your pets also depend on you, but they cannot organise their next meal or explain their routine to a stranger. A clear plan gives the people helping them somewhere to start.
For pet owners in Gawler, Adelaide and across South Australia, the aim is to connect your legal documents with arrangements that will work in everyday life. These seven steps can help you prepare for a conversation with your solicitor.
Can you provide for pets in your will in South Australia?
Yes. A will can record arrangements for pets you own, including who should receive them and any associated financial provision. The Legal Services Commission of South Australia specifically identifies pet care as a matter to consider when making a will.
A pet cannot inherit money as a person can. The legal arrangement needs to involve an appropriate person or organisation. Discuss how to connect a gift of your pet, any care funding and backup arrangements so that the wording reflects what you intend.
There is also a difference between expressing a hope and creating an enforceable obligation. Leaving money outright to someone with a request that they look after your pet may not provide the control you expect. Your solicitor can explain the effect of the proposed wording and whether a more structured arrangement is suitable.
7 steps for including pets in your will
1. Ask a suitable person to become the carer
Speak with your proposed carer before naming them. Someone who loves your pet may still be unable to provide a suitable home because of their housing, work, health or other responsibilities.
Discuss your pet’s daily needs, any medical or behavioural concerns, and whether they can live with the carer’s children or animals. Check practical restrictions on keeping pets at the proposed home. The conversation should cover the animal’s likely needs over time, not just the first few weeks.
2. Choose a backup and plan for changed circumstances
Your first choice may move, become unwell or be unable to take the pet when the time comes. Ask a second suitable person whether they would help, and tell your solicitor how you want the alternative arrangement to operate.
If no family member or friend is available, investigate an established pet legacy program. For example, RSPCA South Australia’s Home Ever After program involves a gift in your will and registration through its application and agreement process. Confirm current requirements directly before relying on it; simply naming a charity in your will does not complete that process.
3. Identify your pets and explain your priorities
Prepare a list of your pets, with names, species, approximate ages, microchip numbers where applicable and recent photographs. Tell your solicitor about shared ownership or any uncertainty about who owns an animal.
If you have several pets, discuss whether you would prefer them to stay together and whether the proposed carer can accommodate that. Also ask how your will should address animals you acquire later, so the plan does not depend entirely on a list that may become outdated.
4. Plan how ongoing care will be paid for
Estimate the costs the carer would face, including food, grooming, veterinary care, medication, insurance and occasional boarding. Consider your pet’s age and likely needs, and review the estimate when circumstances change.
Ask your solicitor who should receive any money, what conditions are appropriate, and what should happen if the person does not take the pet or the pet dies before you. If continuing management of funds is proposed, consider who will administer it, the cost and how unused money will be dealt with. Avoid assuming that writing a dollar amount beside your pet’s name settles these questions.
5. Arrange care for the first day
A long-term arrangement is only useful if someone also knows what to do immediately. Choose a nearby contact who can check on your pet, organise safe access to your home and contact the intended carer.
Keep feeding and medication instructions, veterinary details and essential supplies accessible to trusted people. The RSPCA’s pet emergency planning guidance also recommends an emergency contact, current identification details and an accessible pet emergency kit.
6. Connect the care plan with your legal documents
A will deals with arrangements after death. It does not authorise someone to manage your affairs while you are alive but in hospital or unable to make decisions. Discuss those circumstances separately as part of your wider estate planning.
Tell your executor, proposed carers and emergency contact where the relevant documents and care instructions are kept. They may be different people, so each needs to understand their part. Ask your solicitor about any authority or funding arrangements needed during your lifetime; do not assume that being named as executor is enough.
7. Review the plan when your life changes
Review the arrangements when a pet joins or leaves your household, a carer’s circumstances change, you move, or your pet develops new needs. Confirm that contact details are current and the people you have chosen are still willing.
You can keep a practical care note up to date, but changes to the legal arrangements need proper attention. Ask your solicitor how to update your will rather than making handwritten changes to the signed document.
What should your pet-care instructions include?
Prepare a short care note that a trusted person can find quickly. Use the table below as a starting point and add details specific to your animal.
| Information | What to record |
|---|---|
| People to contact | Primary carer, backup carer, emergency contact and executor, with current phone numbers. |
| Your pet’s identity | Name, photograph, age, microchip or registration details and where records are stored. |
| Daily routine | Food, quantities, feeding times, exercise, sleeping arrangements and familiar comforts. |
| Health and behaviour | Vet contact, current prescribed medication instructions, allergies, handling needs and relevant records. |
| Immediate arrangements | Who can arrange home access, where carriers and supplies are kept, and how urgent costs will be handled. |
| Long-term plan | Where the will and any agreed program documents are held, and who should be contacted about them. |
Share access information securely with the appropriate people. A care note supports your plan; it does not replace a properly prepared will or other necessary authority.
A practical example: different people can help at different stages
Illustrative example: A dog owner chooses her sister as the long-term carer, but the sister lives several hours away. A neighbour agrees to check on the dog immediately, using an accessible care note, and contact the sister. The owner discusses the gift of the dog, care funding and a backup with her solicitor.
This arrangement answers three separate questions: who responds now, who provides the future home, and how the legal and financial arrangements support them. Those details should be agreed in advance.
Watch: Who will care for your pets when you die?
Watch Manal’s short video on YouTube or visit the PA Law video guide and transcript.
Frequently asked questions about pets in your will
Can I leave money directly to my dog or cat?
No. A pet cannot receive an inheritance as a legal beneficiary in the way a person can. Speak with your solicitor about providing funds through an appropriate person or organisation and drafting arrangements that support the pet’s care.
Does naming someone in my will guarantee they will take my pet?
No. Do not assume that naming a person means they will be willing or able to accept your pet. Discuss the proposal with them, confirm their agreement and include a workable alternative.
Is my executor automatically my pet’s new owner?
No. The executor administers your estate; that role alone does not make them the beneficiary of your pet. Make your intended ownership and care arrangements clear, and tell the executor about any urgent needs.
What if I cannot find anyone to care for my pet?
Ask suitable animal welfare organisations about their current pet legacy or rehoming arrangements. Confirm acceptance requirements, paperwork and any financial provision before relying on a program. Arrange immediate care separately where needed.
Will my will help if I am in hospital but still alive?
Your will deals with your estate after death. You also need practical arrangements for times when you are alive but cannot care for your animals. Discuss emergency contacts, access, care funding and any appropriate legal authority with your solicitor.
Should every feeding and grooming instruction be in my will?
Usually, detailed routines are better kept in an accessible care note that can be updated. Ask your solicitor which matters need to be in the will and which can be recorded as practical guidance.
Include your pets in your estate planning
PA Law assists with wills and estate planning for clients in Gawler, Adelaide and across South Australia. Bring your existing will, your proposed carers’ details and a short list of your pets’ needs so we can discuss suitable arrangements.
Explore our wills services · Request an appointment
Call 0431 614 696 or email manal@palaw.au.
Further reading: Legal Services Commission SA: Making a will; RSPCA SA: Home Ever After; RSPCA Australia: Pet emergency planning. Sources checked 14 October 2026.
This article provides general information about estate planning in South Australia, not legal advice for your circumstances. The appropriate arrangements depend on your wishes, ownership, documents and the people or organisations involved. Obtain tailored advice before making or changing your will.