What happens to your pet if something happens to you?

Nobody wants to think about it, but planning ahead is the best way to look after it. What the Código Civil (Civil Code) says about pets in an inheritance.

What the law says

If the will says nothing about your animals, they are handed to the heirs who claim them. If this cannot happen straight away, they are taken to the animal collection service while the inheritance is settled. If nobody wants them, the authorities can hand them over to someone else. And if several heirs want them and cannot agree, a judge decides with the animal's welfare in mind (Código Civil, the Civil Code, art. 914 bis).

How to plan ahead

Talk to the person you would like to look after it and ask if they agree.
Put it in writing in your will: who it goes to and, if you want, an amount for its care.
Keep a record handy with its vet, its food, its medicines and its quirks. In «My pets» you can keep it all together.
If you live alone, keep a note in your wallet or on your phone saying «There is an animal at home» and a contact number.

For the will, talk to a notary.