Pet Peace of Mind cat

Love and care for him, peace of mind for you

With our Pet Peace of Mind service, we’ll make sure your pet is loved long after you’ve gone.

Your pet means the world to you. But what would happen if you passed away before them? Apply for our Pet Peace of Mind service to put your mind at rest. Should the worst happen, we’ll do everything we can to find them a loving, happy new home.

Why Blue Cross?

We’ve been caring for sick, injured and homeless pets for more than a hundred years. So you can trust us to look after the pet you love and make sure they have the best possible care.

Mary King, Blue Cross Equine Ambassador, smiling at the camera while standing with a brown and white horse wearing a Blue Cross branded head collar

We all love and care for our horses and we owe it to them to ensure their health and happiness. Pet Peace of Mind makes sure that care continues when we are no longer around.

Mary King, Blue Cross Equine Ambassador

Find out why Carolin registered her beloved horses with Pet Peace of Mind.

 

A fluffy rabbit sits on an older person's lap

Apply for Pet Peace of Mind today

Our Pet Peace of Mind service is free, and we consider all applications for dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, chinchillas, degus, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice and rats. You can register up to four pets per household.

Apply for Pet Peace of Mind

 

A grey and white cat sits in a window sill having its chin rubbed

Giving something back

While there’s no charge for this service, you may choose to leave a gift in your Will to Blue Cross. We simply couldn’t care for so many pets without these generous gifts.

Find out more

A white horse looks at a Blue Cross staff member

Any questions?

You can find some of our most commonly asked questions below.

Frequently asked questions

You can register your dog*, cat, horse, rabbit, chinchilla, degu, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, mouse or rat onto the service. Your application will be considered once we have received your form.

*Except for the five banned breeds under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

You can register up to four pets from your household. If you have more pets please contact the Pet Peace of Mind team. If our team can take on more than four pets from your household, we might need to arrange to bring them in over a longer period of time.

If your dog has been imported from another country, we now require evidence of two negative Brucella canis tests before we can admit any imported dogs into our care.

We recommend speaking with your vet for guidance on Brucella canis and for the necessary testing to be carried out. Please note that acceptance onto our service is not dependent on these tests being done. But, if the time came for your dog to come into our care, we would need these negative results, and your dog would need to stay with a family member or pet guardian until the tests are carried out and negative results received.

There are significant implications if a dog tests positive for Brucella. You can read more about Brucella canis at gov.uk.

Our veterinary team have advised that both of the following tests are required:

  • serum agglutination; code TC1032 (SAT for Brucella canis antibody)
  • rapid slide agglutination; code TC0116 (Brucella canis antibody iELISA)

Your vet will be able to advise further about the tests needed.

The serological tests must be submitted to and performed by your local Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory. They take seven to 21 days to return. A single 2ml serum sample will be needed, and it will need to be labelled to warn lab staff of Brucella canis risk.

Positive results will be reported to the APHA by the laboratory. You can read more about this on the APHA website.

It’s free to register your pet. But many of our supporters who sign up have chosen to leave us a gift in their Will as a thank you for promising to love and care for their pet. While the service is not dependent upon a gift in your will,  this will help towards the running of all our services. Blue Cross is funded entirely from generous donations and gifts in Wills from our supporters.

We cannot restrict the use of your gift to your pet. There is no way for us to guarantee that your donation would be spent on the care of your pet by the new owners, and a linked financial contribution for a new owner may not mean that your pet is being rehomed for the right reasons.

We’ll do what we can to make sure that your pets are rehomed together if we can see they are bonded and that it would not be in their best interests to be separated. This would be something that we would contact you to discuss.

Your dog, cat and horse must be microchipped and registered to the name and address on your application.

This helps us to ensure we bring the correct pet into our care and is a legal requirement for dogs. If your vet has told you that microchipping is not appropriate for your pet, please tell us why in your application.

Your application might be rejected if your pet:

  • has a certain medical condition
  • is aggressive and can’t be managed
  • is not be suitable for our service

When looking at your application, our trained Rehoming Team might feel unable to give you the guarantee and peace of mind that we would be able to love, care for, and safely and responsibly rehome your pet. In this case, we’ll always be open and honest with you.

When your application is accepted, you’ll receive a welcome pack. This will give you information on what to write in your Will and what will happen.  Please let your executor, family and friends know what your plans are and your arrangement with us. If you have someone you could appoint as a Pet Guardian*, they can contact us. Between them and your executor we will ensure your pet is cared for while we arrange for your pet to come into our care.

*A Pet Guardian is a friend or family member (it does not have to be your executor) who knows your wishes for your pet and your arrangement with Blue Cross. At the appropriate time, we can talk with that person as they may be able to care for your pet until we are able to arrange for them to come into our care. Or, if we and your Pet Guardian agree that it’s in your pet’s best interests, they may wish to rehome the pet themselves. If they cannot, or you don’t have someone to take on this role, we will give you the peace of mind that your pet will be loved and cared for.

You must include your wishes for your pet in your Will. We will provide you with suggested wording for your Will that you can discuss with your executor and solicitor. This will ensure we can care for your pet following your death.

We hope Pet Peace of Mind will be a support to your family, friends and executors at a time when they will be grieving. In the event of your death, your executor of your Will or Pet Guardian should contact our team on by email or on 0300 777 1910 to let us know that your pet needs to be rehomed.

One of your friends of family might be able to travel to one of our centres, or we can travel to pick up your pet.

We understand that, at the time when help is needed, it may be in the best interests of your pet to remain with an appointed Pet Guardian*, family member or friend. This is something that we would decide at the time and based on what is in the best interests of your pet. If it’s agreed that your pet will be looked after by us, a transfer of ownership form will be completed which gives us legal ownership of your loved pet.

We can then make decisions that are in their best interests. While we can provide updates during their time with us, we would not be able to provide your family of friends with details of any new owners.

*A Pet Guardian is a friend or family member (it does not have to be your executor) who knows your wishes for your pet and your arrangement with Blue Cross. At the appropriate time, we can talk with that person as they may be able to care for your pet until we are able to arrange for them to come into our care. Or, if we and your Pet Guardian agree that it’s in your pet’s best interests, they may wish to rehome the pet themselves. If they cannot, or you don’t have someone to take on this role, we will give you the peace of mind that your pet will be loved and cared for.

No. If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, you can apply.

When your pet needs our care, we’ll be there. We can provide care at one of our rehoming centres or with one of our loving foster carers. This will be decided based on what is best for your pet and their needs. Some pets will be happier in a home environment, while others can be cared for at our centres.

If you live abroad and would like to register your pet, please contact us about whether this would be possible. We would look at this on a case by case basis, but it’s likely that the arrangement and cost would need to be borne by your estate.

By registering your pet, regardless of their age, we make sure your pet is cared for. Our Rehoming Team are trained to find loving new homes for pets in our care. They will look at the medical and behavioural needs of your pet before rehoming so that we find them the right home. They will also carefully decide what sort of family, lifestyle and home environment would suit your pet, so they can go on to have a healthy life in a happy home.

With this information, your much-loved pet will be matched with a loving new home and we’ll be there to support their new family while they get settled. While we don’t keep pets permanently at Blue Cross rehoming centres, we will, of course, look after your pet until we find them a suitable home.

Our teams work hard to find new homes for every pet in their care. However, it may be necessary to euthanise a small number of pets for veterinary or behavioural reasons. This decision is only ever taken after careful consideration by our expert teams.

In all circumstances, our priority is the welfare and quality of life of the pet and the safety of people and pets who they might meet.

Not a problem. Just fill in the form above, submit an application for your new pet and our team will be in touch.

Applying for the service is easy. Fill in the quick form below to get started.

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