🐕
Biscuit
Guardian
Paul Richards
Has agreed · substitute named
Care fund left
£3,000
Cash gift to the guardian
Insurance
Petplan
Active · renews Aug 2026
Microchip
Registered
Petlog · details on file
💡
You cannot leave money to a pet — but you can plan properly for one. In England & Wales a pet is legally "property", so Biscuit passes under your will like any belonging. The way to provide for him is to name a guardian and leave them a cash gift for his care (here £3,000), with your wishes recorded alongside. Ask the guardian first — nobody can be forced to take a pet on.
Who will look after Biscuit INHERIT rules
A first choice and a back-up, so there is never a gap.
PR
Paul Richards
Son · first-choice guardian
SR
Sarah Richards
Daughter · substitute guardian
Plain English: this is a request, not a legally binding order — which is why agreeing it in advance, and leaving a care fund, matters so much.
Biscuit's care wishes ✓ saved
🍽
Feeding — twice daily, 7am and 5pm. One scoop dry food; no chocolate, grapes or cooked bones.
🔑
Spare key — with the next-door neighbour, Jean at No. 25, for the first few days.
📞
First call — ring Paul first; he has agreed to take Biscuit and knows his routine.
💊
Medication — daily joint supplement with breakfast; flea & worming every 3 months (vet has the schedule).
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Routine — two walks a day; nervous of fireworks; sleeps in the utility room; loves the park by the canal.
For your executor open standard
Urgency after death: the same day — a pet needs feeding and company immediately. This list is here so whoever steps in knows exactly what to do.
☐
Call Paul Richards (first-choice guardian)
Then Sarah if needed
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Collect Biscuit + food, bed, lead, meds
Spare key with Jean, No. 25
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Update the microchip registration
Petlog — new keeper details
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Transfer or cancel the Petplan policy
New keeper can take it over
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Release the £3,000 care gift
To the guardian, from the estate
As INHERIT data open standard
Everything on this page is structured, portable data — not locked into MFI.
| Feature | INHERIT source | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Pet record | asset.pet · species, age, microchip | Holds Biscuit's identity, vet and insurance links |
| Guardian | pet.guardian + pet.guardian.substitute | Records the first choice and the back-up, with agreed status |
| Care wishes | pet.careWishes[] (structured + free text) | Feeding, routine, medication and key handover notes |
| Care legacy | bequest.cashGift → guardian | The £3,000 cash gift that funds Biscuit's care |
| Estate & tax | tax.iht.chattel (negligible value) | The pet's own value is nil for IHT; the £3,000 is a normal cash gift |
Biscuit is part of David Richards' sample estate — a fictional example. In England & Wales an animal is legally property and cannot itself inherit money; provision is made by gifting the pet to a chosen guardian together with a cash legacy and recorded care wishes. Care arrangements are requests, not binding orders. Tax figures are a guide computed against the INHERIT E&W Tax module for planning only — not tax advice. MyFamilyInherits does not provide legal or tax advice; regulated firms do. We will never charge your card automatically.