Can I leave it all to my dog?

You may wish to to leave some or all of your estate to your dog (or other pet) when you die. Many people build such strong bonds with their pets that they worry about how their beloved companions will be looked after should they die.

The law does not allow you to leave money directly to an animal. However, you can leave money in a trust appointing someone to be the trustee with the trust funds to be used for the care and upkeep of your pet.

The question then might be what should happen when your pet dies. Without any further provision it might not go where you want it to so it might be a good idea to make a dog charity the ultimate beneficiary.

An alternative might be to leave your estate directly to a dog friendly charity that will look after your pet.

However if you have close family there is every chance that your Will will be contested by those family members who thought they might inherit. It would be sensible to leave a Letter of Wishes with your Will in these circumstances.