Remember The Animals

Remember Your Pet In Your Will

When making or changing your Will, please don't forget your pet.

Family and friends often do not know what to do with your pet once you are gone.

If you have a friend or family member who is willing to care for your pet after your lifetime, please ask your lawyer to specify this in your Will.

If you don't have anyone in mind, you can ask your lawyer to specify that Wellington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Inc will become the new owner of your pet when you can no longer care for it. We will do everything possible to find a perfect new home for your pet. You might like to write a letter and keep it with your Will to outline your pet's likes, dislikes and vet history to help us find their perfect forever home.

Remember Homeless Animals In Your Will

Wellington SPCA is extremely grateful to those thoughtful people who have left us gifts in their Wills to rescue and rehome the most vulnerable animals.

Adding Wellington SPCA to your Will is as easy as it is important. Always talk to your lawyer when making or changing your Will.

The main types of gift you can make in your Will are:

Residuary legacy

Once your debts and funeral expenses are paid out and the specific legacies and pecuniary legacies are attended to, the balance of the estate is called the "residuary estate". A gift of part of this is called a "residuary legacy". Such a gift is commonly stated as a percentage of the residue. For example, "I give to Wellington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Inc __% of my residuary estate."

This is a popular choice as it automatically adjusts to the changes in the value of your estate. It effectively inflation-proofs your gift. A residuary legacy is the best legacy you can make to help cats, dogs and other animals.

Specific legacy

This is a gift of a specific item or group of items, such as a painting or jewellery.

The disadvantage is that specific assets are often lost, sold or disposed of during one's lifetime and then the gift bails because the assets are no longer part of your estate at the time you pass away.

Pecuniary legacy

This is a gift of a specific monetary amount.

The disadvantage is that over time the value of such a gift can be diminished by the effect of inflation.