Who looks after your pets when you're gone?

If something happens to you, your animals still need food, water and care that same day. A will does not help with that. It is read later, and it does not send anyone round to your door. What helps is the right person being told quickly. That is what a LastKnow letter does.

The gap: days, not weeks

Most plans for pets sit in a will. A will is dealt with as part of settling an estate, and that takes time. In England and Wales, GOV.UK says a probate application is usually granted within 12 weeks of applying, and that is only once someone has found the will and applied. An animal shut in a house cannot wait that long. Many cannot safely wait a day.

The worst case is not the only one. If you are in hospital after an accident, stuck abroad, or simply cannot get home, the animals at home have the same problem, and nobody may know they are there.

Animal charities plan around this gap too. Cats Protection says cats in its Cat Guardians scheme usually come into its care around a week after it is told, sometimes longer, and suggests a friend or neighbour helps in the meantime. Dogs Trust makes the Dog Guardian you name responsible for interim care until a rehoming centre can take the dog.

So the first job is not deciding who inherits the animal. It is making sure someone nearby finds out, within days, that the animals need them.

How LastKnow closes the gap

You check in every so often: a tap on the Ping page, the link in a reminder email, or a PIN. You choose the interval, from one day to a year, and a grace period of one to fourteen days after it.

Before a check-in is due, we remind you by email, and by push if you turn it on. A reminder email lets you check in with one tap.
If you miss the deadline, the grace period starts. Reminders carry on, ending with a last notice shortly before anything is sent.
If you still have not checked in when the grace period ends, the people you named get an email from us with a link to your letter. The email says who it is from and why they are getting it. They do not need an account to read it.

For pets, choose settings that match how long your animals can safely be alone. A two-week interval with a three-day grace period, the default, can mean more than two weeks before anyone hears. If you live alone with a dog, a short interval and a short grace period are better. With the shortest settings, a one-day interval and a 24-hour grace period, the letter goes out about two days after your last check-in.

You can also add watchers: people who see your latest status and when you last checked in. A neighbour who watches you can spot an old check-in and knock on your door before the letter goes out. Watchers do not see your letters.

More detail: Check-in reminders · Setting up a welfare check · Watchers and status · How LastKnow works

Who to name

The person who should be told first is not always the person who should keep the animal. Many people need two names, and one letter can go to both.

Someone nearby, with a way in. They need to get there quickly and get through the door: a key, a key safe code, or the name of whoever holds one. On the first day a neighbour is worth more than a close friend three hours away.
Someone to take them on. A permanent home is a real commitment. The ASPCA points out that the emergency carer does not have to be the permanent one. Ask; do not assume that a relative who likes animals will want yours.
A backup. People move, fall ill or change their minds. Name a second person and send the letter to them as well.
Ask first, and ask again. Only name people who have agreed, and check from time to time that they still can. The ASPCA gives the same advice.

Say in the letter which role each person has, so nobody is left wondering who decides.

Belt and braces

LastKnow helps when nobody knows you are missing. Two cheap things help when someone does find you, for example paramedics after a fall at home:

A card in your wallet saying that you have animals at home and who to call. The ASPCA suggests a pet alert card with two emergency contacts, and Dogs Trust card holders get one to carry.
A note by the door listing the animals and who to contact. The ASPCA suggests a sticker on or near the front door with the number and types of pets and your vet's name and number.

What to put in the letter

The letter is what your contact reads standing in your hallway. Write it for someone who does not know your routine. Practical beats sentimental.

Each animal: name, species, breed, age, and what they look like (colour, markings, size), so there is no doubt which is which.
Food: brand, how much, how often, and where it is kept.
Medication: name, dose, times, and where it is. Put this first if an animal depends on it.
Vet: practice name, address and phone number, and the name the animal is registered under.
Microchip: the number and the database it is registered with, so the new keeper can update the details. In England, dogs and cats must be microchipped and the keeper's details kept up to date.
Insurance: insurer and policy number, or a note that there is none, so nobody has to guess who pays a vet bill.
Temperament: anything a stranger would not guess. Hides, bites when picked up, must not meet other dogs, slips out of open doors.
Routine: walks, litter, cleaning out, when they go out and come in, where they sleep.
Where things are: carrier, lead, food, medicines, and paperwork.
Keys and costs: who has a key, and how the first costs (food, vet, boarding) can be paid.
The longer term: who you hope will keep them, any scheme you have joined, and what you want if none of that works out.

Records such as vaccination certificates or an insurance policy can be described or typed into the letter: the policy number, the vaccination dates, and where the paper copies are. File attachments are coming later.

The weeks after, and a permanent home

Your first contact may only be able to help for a few days. Say in the letter what happens next: who can foster, whether a boarding kennel or cattery is acceptable, and who you hope will keep each animal for good.

Some charities will take an animal in and rehome it if you register in advance. These are the schemes we could confirm:

Dogs Trust Canine Care Card (UK). Free, dogs only. If you become seriously ill, move into a care home or pass away, Dogs Trust takes your dog in and rehomes it. Your Dog Guardian calls them and arranges care in the meantime. It cannot take dogs living overseas, banned breeds, or dogs with extreme aggression.
Cats Protection Cat Guardians (UK). Free, for cats in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You put the arrangement in your will, and Cats Protection takes your cats in and rehomes them.
RSPCA NSW Home Ever After (New South Wales, Australia). A future care plan, free if you leave a gift to RSPCA NSW in your will. It mainly takes cats, dogs and small animals.

Even with a scheme, someone has to make the first call and look after the animals until they are collected. Put that person in your LastKnow letter, along with the scheme's name and phone number. Elsewhere, ask local shelters and rescues what they offer before you need it.

Money and the law, briefly

This is general information, not legal advice. A LastKnow letter is not a will. It tells someone what you want; it does not transfer ownership of an animal or any money.

In law an animal is usually property, so it cannot inherit. In England and Wales, a gift left directly to an animal fails.
What usually works instead is leaving the animal, and money for its care, to a person, with a request or condition that they look after it, or setting up a trust with a person as trustee.
In the United States, every state and the District of Columbia has a pet trust law, according to the ASPCA. A pet trust can hold money for an animal's care and name a caregiver, but the rules differ from state to state.

Ask a lawyer where you live. Make sure your will and your LastKnow letter say the same thing.

Special cases

Long-lived animals. The RSPCA says some parrots live for over 50 years and that tortoises can live 50 to 100 years. Plan for more than one future keeper, and name a backup who knows the species.
Several animals. One person may not be able to take them all. Say which animals must stay together and which can be split up.
Horses and livestock. They need someone with experience, land and transport. Name that person, say where feed, tack and records are, and where the passport is: in the UK the keeper of a horse must be able to produce its passport. The ASPCA notes that sanctuaries or retirement homes may suit horses and exotic animals.

Setting it up

Ask someone nearby, and the person who would take the animals for good. Get a yes from both.
In Settings, pick a check-in interval and grace period that match how long your animals can be alone, and keep reminders on.
Write the letter using the list above, and add both people as recipients.
Arm the letter, so it goes out if you miss a check-in.
Put a card in your wallet and a note by the door.
If you join a rehoming scheme, add its name and number to the letter.
Read the letter again once a year, and whenever an animal, a vet or a contact changes.

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Sources

Checked in October 2026. Schemes and rules change, so confirm the details with the organisation before you rely on them.

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Last updated: 2026-10-19