Insight 4: Securing the Future for Those Who Count On Us: Planning Continuity of Care in Multi-Species Households.

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Continuity of Care in Multi-Species Families

Globally, more than half of households include at least one companion animal, and a substantial proportion of individuals regard these animals as members of the family.[1] Despite the prevalence and emotional significance of the human-animal bond, infrastructure to ensure the continuity of care for companion animals in times of personal or societal disruption remains limited and inconsistent. When individuals are hospitalized, incapacitated, or deceased, their animals often face an uncertain future, including risks of abandonment or euthanasia. Even temporary disruptions—such as illness, delayed travel, or unforeseen emergencies—can destabilize the caregiving relationship in the absence of formalized contingency planning.

These vulnerabilities expose a structural gap in how care continuity is conceptualized and operationalized within multi-species households. Continuity of care is a foundational principle in human medicine, particularly for populations reliant on others for daily functioning. Yet in the context of companion animals—who increasingly occupy the role of family members in households—this continuity is often overlooked as already observed. Challenges include the lack of accessible legal frameworks and practical tools, limited availability of alternative caregivers, affordability concerns, and the under-recognition of species-specific and relational needs within health, legal, and institutional systems.

Addressing these issues requires a systematic and proactive approach that transitions from informal, reactive measures to integrated, anticipatory care models. Such a shift holds implications not only for animal welfare but also for caregiver autonomy, ethical preparedness, and public health. Recognizing the interdependence between humans and companion animals—and embedding that recognition in policies and services—has the potential to strengthen social resilience, equity, and the capacity of families to navigate disruption without compromising the welfare of any of their members.

A Growing Economy, A Fragile Infrastructure

As pet adoption has surged globally, there has been a corresponding rise in the demand for a wide range of pet care services.[2] This expanding market reflects demographic shifts, new living arrangements, and evolving family structures.[3,4] While the growth of services such as pet-sitting is promising, it is accompanied by an underlying fragility. 

Beneath the optimism of a thriving industry lies an operational infrastructure that may be challenged by factors such as labor shortages, geographic disparities, and varying levels of emergency response capabilities across regions. These challenges can create gaps in the system, affecting the overall resilience and capacity to meet the evolving needs of pet care.

Reports from various regions often highlight insufficient availability of veterinary and ancillary care, with workforce shortages exacerbating the challenges. In major urban centers, particularly during holidays or emergencies, access to boarding and in-home care can be severely constrained, leaving families with few options when continuity of care is most essential.[5]

Cost Barriers to Pet Care

The rising costs associated with pet care services, including overnight pet-sitting and specialized medical care, have become a significant concern in many areas.[5-8] These increases reflect broader economic pressures and the increasing complexity of pet care, which often extends beyond basic needs to include specialized diets, behavioural therapy, and ongoing medical management. While higher-income households may be able to absorb these costs, economically vulnerable populations—including low-income families, seniors, and those living alone—face disproportionate burdens. 

While private sector mechanisms, such as pet insurance, can address some veterinary costs, they typically fail to cover continuity needs arising from hospitalization, incapacity, or the death of a guardian. Moreover, most legal frameworks do not require or incentivize the inclusion of pets in long-term care planning. While non-commercial actors, such as animal welfare organizations and social service providers, have the potential to fill gaps in care continuity, the integration of pets into broader social service systems remains limited. Expanding these services could enhance continuity and provide vital support to multi-species families during times of crisis. 

Indeed, the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have served as a compelling laboratory for testing these dynamics.[9-12] In Italy, where the pandemic hit hard and quickly, a convergence of factors—high rates of companion animal ownership, a large elderly population, and stringent lockdown measures—created the conditions for a spontaneous yet robust network of volunteerism and local associations. In response to the crisis, these groups organized to assist individuals unable to care for their pets due to illness, isolation, or mobility restrictions. Their efforts included providing essential services such as pet care, delivery of supplies and medications, and transport to veterinary clinics.[13]

These grassroots initiatives highlighted the potential for local networks to fill the gap in pet care during emergencies. However, they also underscored significant challenges, particularly the need for broader structural support, coordination, and training. Volunteers and organizations may have the best of intentions, but their lack of expertise in handling pet care under emergency conditions can lead to unintended consequences. As such, it is critical to build the necessary capacity beforehand, ensuring that those involved are properly trained in how to care for pets during times of crisis. Without this preparation, well-intentioned efforts could fall short in providing adequate support.

While similar efforts have emerged in other countries, often as localized nonprofit initiatives, the scalability and sustainability of such models remain uncertain. The ability to mobilize these systems in a large-scale crisis—whether natural or man-made—requires addressing key issues such as geographic reach, public awareness, and the capacity to expand in a coordinated, efficient manner. Furthermore, these networks must be equipped with the knowledge and resources to manage the unique challenges that come with caring for pets in emergency situations. The role of non-commercial organizations in providing continuity of care for pets during emergencies remains an area of critical importance, one that warrants further exploration, investment, and systematic capacity-building.

Not Just Available and Affordable-Reliable: The Pet Care Quality Gap

In addition to availability and affordability, the quality and trustworthiness of pet care providers presents another critical challenge that warrants careful consideration. Currently, regulatory oversight of pet care providers is inconsistent across jurisdictions. In Switzerland, for example, pet boarding facilities are subject to national standards that include licensing requirements, regular inspections, and proof of staff training.[14] Such provisions ensure that facilities maintain appropriate hygiene, manage population density, and implement protocols for infection control. These measures provide a degree of assurance for pet guardians that standards of care are being met.

However, individual providers—such as dog walkers, pet sitters, and in-home caregivers—often operate in a regulatory vacuum. In many jurisdictions, individuals may offer such services without any formal training, background checks, or proof of competency. 

In Geneva, Switzerland, regulation applies to dog-walking services involving more than three animals, requiring a certificate of good conduct and documented experience.[15] By contrast, in the United Kingdom, there are no national licensing or training requirements for dog walkers, although facilities providing boarding or daycare must obtain permits.[16,17] This uneven regulatory landscape highlights important questions about consumer protection, safety, and the expectations of professionalism in a rapidly growing sector.

The absence of universal standards introduces potential risks. Without clear guidance on training in animal behaviour, emergency protocols, or ethical responsibilities, guardians may unknowingly entrust their pets to providers lacking even basic competencies. While most providers act in good faith, the lack of a formal framework means there is little recourse when standards fall short. In cases involving long-term care or emergencies, the consequences of insufficient training or oversight may be significant—not only for the animal, but for the emotional and fiduciary responsibilities of the family involved.

Designing an effective oversight system for pet care services is not without challenges. Regulations must account for the wide variety of services and providers, from commercial enterprises to informal neighbourhood caregivers. Still, emerging models of credentialing, self-regulation, and public-private partnerships may offer promising paths forward. As the pet care landscape evolves, stakeholders—including policymakers, veterinary professionals, consumer advocates, and industry leaders—will need to assess how best to ensure safety, trust, and accountability without imposing undue burdens on providers.

Relationship-Based Care Planning

Most current systems of care planning, whether legal, medical, or social, fail to account for the relational knowledge necessary to support pets through periods of transition or crisis. Pet guardianship is inherently relational. Animals are not interchangeable dependents; they are socially bonded individuals with specific routines, emotional sensitivities, and behavioural cues. These nuances are often known only to primary caregivers—knowledge that is rarely documented and almost never transmitted in structured ways. Unlike pediatric or elder dependents, for whom formal case notes, care plans, or institutional histories may exist, companion animals may have no such file. As a result, continuity of care for pets is typically reliant on informal networks or chance proximity, rather than systems designed to preserve emotional and behavioral stability.

This omission can have significant implications. In the absence of structured relational data, even well-intentioned succession plans may fail to meet an animal’s needs. A legally appointed caregiver may lack the familiarity required to maintain established routines or respond appropriately to stress cues. Conversely, informal caregivers—such as trusted neighbors, dog walkers, or friends—who possess deep contextual knowledge may have no formal standing to intervene during moments of need. This misalignment introduces avoidable stress and, in some cases, may result in abandonment or premature relinquishment to shelters.

Emerging models of relational directives offer one potential remedy. Such tools could include structured, portable documents that record essential care information: preferred handlers, feeding schedules, behavioural triggers, and social preferences. When integrated into estate planning documents, medical records, or digital care platforms, these directives could help ensure continuity of emotional and behavioural support during transitions. Importantly, they also provide an opportunity to increase accountability for designated caregivers, while reducing ambiguity during moments of emergency or guardianship disruption. As the societal role of pets continues to evolve, integrating relational intelligence into care planning should be viewed not as a luxury, but as a necessary extension of ethical responsibility.

Planning for Our Pets When We No Longer Can

Few individuals are inclined to contemplate their own incapacity or death, and even fewer make formal arrangements for such events. Yet for those who share their lives with companion animals, the absence of contingency planning can have severe and often irreversible consequences. A critical and underrecognized component of estate and incapacity planning is a simple but pressing set of questions: If a person were to die or become incapacitated, who would care for their pet? Would that care be immediate, continuous, and responsive to the animal’s established routines and emotional needs?

Each year, countless animals are surrendered to shelters or left untended following the sudden absence of a guardian. Some are discovered only after prolonged periods—malnourished, distressed, or deceased—underscoring how completely companion animals rely on human presence for survival. While shelter systems provide an essential safety net, they are not equipped to substitute for the security of a home environment, particularly for older animals or those with chronic medical conditions. The psychological toll of abrupt displacement is considerable, and the risk of euthanasia increases sharply when animals are perceived as unadoptable.

This state of affairs reflects to some extent a broader systemic failure to treat animals as enduring members of the household unit—dependents whose well-being is intimately tied to our ability to plan. In the absence of advance arrangements, even well-meaning relatives, neighbours, or professionals may lack the legal authority, resources, or understanding needed to ensure timely, appropriate care.

So what can be done? A set of legal instruments allows individuals to plan explicitly for the care of their animals. Understanding these options—and their limitations—is a critical next step.

Wills

Wills remain the principal legal mechanism for expressing posthumous preferences, including the disposition of assets and, in some cases, the designation of caretakers for dependents. Despite their longstanding legal and cultural role, population-level uptake remains limited. A 2021 Gallup poll found that only 46% of U.S. adults reported having executed a will.[18] In France, the proportion is even lower, with fewer than 25% of adults having formalized testamentary instructions.[19] Among pet owners in the United States, studies suggest that between 12% and 27% have included provisions for animal care in their wills.[20]

A will is legally operative only upon the certified death of the testator. This structural feature can pose risks in situations of disappearance, delayed identification, or protracted legal confirmation of death. Globally, hundreds of thousands of individuals are reported missing each year. In the United States alone, over 600,000 people are reported missing annually, and approximately 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered.[21] In the United Kingdom, a person is reported missing every 90 seconds.[22] In such instances, the delay in establishing legal death may suspend access to the deceased's estate, leaving dependents—including animals—in a period of protracted uncertainty. Even when death is promptly certified, wills may undergo probate, a judicial process required to validate the document and authorize the executor to implement its terms. Probate might be subject to procedural delays, which may vary considerably by jurisdiction and caseload. During this interim, access to estate resources remains restricted, potentially delaying necessary arrangements for the care of surviving dependents.

Beyond issues of timing and probate, wills exhibit further structural constraints in the context of pet care. In most jurisdictions, animals are not recognized as legal persons and therefore cannot inherit property directly. As a result, testators generally allocate funds to an individual or organization intended to assume caregiving responsibilities. However, this arrangement is typically nonbinding, meaning the designated caretaker may not be legally obligated to use the allocated funds for the care of the animal or to retain custody. In some cases, a beneficiary may accept the bequest but subsequently choose to surrender the pet to a shelter or another third party, which could potentially undermine the intent of the provision.

Some jurisdictions permit the imposition of conditional burdens, requiring a beneficiary to undertake specific responsibilities as a condition for receiving an inheritance. In Switzerland, for example, it is possible to structure testamentary gifts contingent on the assumption of pet care duties.[23] However, enforcement of such conditions is limited in practice, and oversight is rarely systematic. In effect, the quality and continuity of care provided to a surviving animal often depend more on the personal integrity and logistical capacity of the designated individual than on legal guarantees.

Finally, wills are inherently retrospective instruments: they address circumstances following death but provide no operative authority in cases of incapacity. Conditions such as stroke, traumatic injury, or coma may leave an individual alive but unable to provide or authorize care for a pet. In such cases, testamentary provisions are inoperative, and pets may be left without legally sanctioned guardianship or financial support. Given the clinical and demographic prevalence of such conditions, reliance on wills alone represents an incomplete approach to continuity of care.

Power of Attorney

Because wills are operative only after legal death is certified, they provide no mechanism for managing affairs during periods of incapacity. To address this gap, many legal systems have developed instruments permitting individuals to authorize another person—commonly referred to as an agent or attorney-in-fact—to act on their behalf under defined conditions. In the United States and other jurisdictions, such arrangements are governed by powers of attorney (POAs).[24]

POAs may be structured with varying scopes and temporal parameters. Some are limited in purpose, conferring authority only over discrete matters such as financial transactions or property management. Others establish broader authority, encompassing personal, legal, or health-related decisions. POAs may be operative immediately upon execution or may be contingent upon the individual’s subsequent incapacity, in which case they are classified as “springing” powers of attorney.

Jurisdictions differ in terminology and legal form. In the United Kingdom, an ordinary POA remains valid only while the principal retains capacity. To plan for anticipated incapacity, individuals may establish a lasting power of attorney (LPA), which endures beyond the loss of decision-making ability.[25] France distinguishes between a procuration, which is limited to current transactions, and a mandat de protection future, which allows individuals to name one or more representatives authorized to act in the event of incapacity.[26] These frameworks serve the same essential purpose: to preserve self-determination by enabling individuals to designate trusted agents in advance.

Although POAs and their equivalents are legally robust, their implementation often entails practical limitations.[27] In many jurisdictions, agents are not required to possess professional training. They are frequently spouses, family members, or close associates who may lack experience in managing complex responsibilities—particularly those involving dependents such as companion animals. Without explicit directives, agents are left to interpret the principal’s best interests. This concept, while central to many legal doctrines, remains inherently subjective and may not encompass the preferences the principal would have articulated while capacitated. In the context of pet caregiving, the absence of clear instructions may lead to decisions—including relinquishment or euthanasia—that deviate substantially from the principal’s presumed wishes.

Clarity in documentation is therefore critical. Well-drafted POAs should include specific guidance not only on financial and health matters but also on the care and disposition of dependents, including animals. The designation of a well-informed and trustworthy agent—one familiar with the principal’s values and capable of executing them—is essential to operationalizing the intended function of the instrument.

The legal and ethical significance of POAs extends beyond procedural convenience. Powers of attorney are foundational tools for safeguarding autonomy in the face of incapacity. A 2018 report by the U.S. National Council on Disability identified POAs as an effective means of avoiding guardianship, a legal status that frequently curtails individual agency by transferring decision-making authority to the state or to court-appointed representatives.[28] In France, a mandat de protection future is presumed valid and must be honored by the judiciary unless it is deemed insufficient to protect the interests of the individual. In such cases, courts may impose more restrictive measures, including curatorship or guardianship.[29,30]

Despite their demonstrated utility, POAs remain underutilized in practice. A 2022 survey by Solicitors for the Elderly reported that only 22% of adults in the United Kingdom had registered an LPA, with uptake remaining low even among older populations: 77% of individuals over the age of 55 had not done so.[31] In France, 2022 estimates reported that fewer than 20,000 mandates were executed annually, with fewer than 1,000 entering into effect..[26] In Switzerland, where the mandat pour cause d’incapacité was introduced in 2012, a 2020 survey by Pro Senectute Suisse reported a completion rate of approximately 20%. [32]

These figures raise critical questions concerning awareness, preparedness, and systemic barriers. Failure to execute a POA may lead to legal uncertainty, impaired continuity of care, and potential harm to dependents. Ensuring broader uptake may require not only public education but also reforms aimed at reducing procedural and informational barriers, so that all individuals may retain the capacity to plan for a future in which their intentions are both known and respected.

Trusts

When it comes to protecting our beloved pets, there’s a powerful legal tool that often flies under the radar: the trust. Unlike wills, which only take effect after death, and power of attorney, which ends with it, trusts offer flexibility and continuity. They can be activated during your lifetime or after, covering grey areas like disappearance, incapacitation, or the presumption of death. That’s what makes trusts such a vital part of responsible planning for any pet parent.

At its core, a trust is a fiduciary relationship. One person (the grantor or settlor) transfers assets to a trustee, who is legally bound to manage them for the benefit of a third party—the beneficiary. The rules of this arrangement are laid out in a formal document called a Deed of Trust, including which country’s laws apply. So, what can a trust do for your pets? 

Imagine you’re suddenly hospitalized and unable to care for your animals. A properly drafted trust can instruct your trustee to ensure your pets are immediately cared for by someone you trust. If the worst happens, the trust can direct who gets custody—and ensure any money set aside for their care is used responsibly. If that caregiver fails to meet your standards, the trustee can step in and find someone better.

A trust can give your pets a layer of protection that’s active, adaptable, and enforceable. It may also keep your wishes private. Assets placed into a trust may not have to go through probate, which means less bureaucracy, fewer delays, and far more confidentiality. Trusts can be especially useful if you anticipate resistance—like family members who don’t understand your devotion to your animals or who might contest your estate.[33-37]

Trusts also shine during breakups or divorce. In custody disputes, where pets increasingly take center stage,[38-43] a trust can clarify ownership and eliminate confusion. A standalone pet trust can prevent painful disputes and protect your animals from being caught in the crossfire.

Like any legal instrument, even the most perfectly drafted trust deeds are only as good as the people behind them. If a trustee is negligent or dishonest, it can compromise everything. That’s why regulation matters. For example, in Switzerland, professional trustees must be licensed and meet rigorous standards for transparency, governance, and audits.[44-46] That level of oversight may reduce the risk of mismanagement and fraud. 

Around the world, trusts are being embraced to care for pets. Every U.S. state now recognizes pet trusts.[47,48] They’re also used for this purpose in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and many other countries that follow common law. Estimates suggest that 20–25% of pet parents have already set one up.[49] 

Very importantly, trusts aren’t just about protection. They can also be about legacy.[50-52]Many pet parents choose to direct any remaining funds in their pet’s trust to a cause they care about—like shelters, rescue programs, or animal welfare charities. That way, even after their last companion is gone, they’re still helping others in need. In the end, a well-structured trust can do more than care for your pets. It can give you peace of mind—knowing you’ve done right by them and helped build a kinder world for others.

The Love for Our Pets as a Catalyst for Planning That Cares

Ensuring continuity of care for companion animals—whether in the short term, over the long term, or in perpetuity—remains a persistent and under-addressed challenge. These challenges often arise both from unforeseen circumstances and from life transitions we would rather not contemplate. Yet, it is precisely in acknowledging these difficult realities that we find an opportunity: the opportunity to ask questions we may otherwise avoid—questions that force us to confront our own vulnerabilities, whether related to health, familial dynamics, or end-of-life planning.

Our relationship with our pets can serve as a catalyst for reflection—prompting us not only to make responsible and compassionate plans for their welfare, but also to engage in a deeper reckoning with our own future. How do we define independence when we are no longer fully autonomous? What do we wish to leave behind—not just financially, but in terms of values, care, and continuity? What legacy will reflect who we were, and whom we loved?

By embracing these questions rather than deferring them, we are granted a powerful opportunity: to safeguard the beings who depend on us, and in doing so, to exercise foresight, dignity, and agency over our own lives.

INSIGHT’s Contributors

Stefano Gnes and Vera Gualdi

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