Dog left by mother

cacti

I am very sorry for your loss and I am so pleased that your kind brother is taking responsibility for the dog. Has your brother thought of taking the dog to an organisation such as the PDSA?, RSPCA or similar charity? Sometimes such organisations charge according to the finances of the pet owner or do not charge at all. It might be worth enquiring. They have wonderful vets and give excellent treatment.

pauletruth

assuming a dog is treated as livestock and the estate has not been given out then the asset belongs to the estate. so the estate should either sell put down or pay for its vet bills. once its been split then thats a different matter.

then it would e fair to treat it as being shared by all the children. so thet should share the costs involved.

Pricivius

My understanding is that dogs are not treated as livestock in law. They are chattels, just like a car, a sofa or a jumper. I would not expect the estate to pay, but the beneficiaries can make payment out of their inheritance. I could be wrong, but that's my understanding.

financially_curious

The beneficiaries can authorise the executor to pay all reasonable costs. Provided all are in agreement. If one disagrees its a no go I'm afraid

zzzLazyDaisy

financially_curious wrote: »

The beneficiaries can authorise the executor to pay all reasonable costs. Provided all are in agreement. If one disagrees its a no go I'm afraid

There was no will, so there is no executor. There is instead an administrator for the estate who presumably either applied for probate with the consent/approval of the beneficiaries. The problem is that, having accepted the role, if they distribute the estate and a creditor then crawls out of the woodwork, the administrator is personally liable.

OP I think the best suggestion is for the siblings to contribute to the costs of taking care of the dog on the basis that now that your mum has gone you are all responsible for the dog, and your brother is making his contribution on a daily basis by looking after it, so the other siblings are making a financial contribution.

Savvy_Sue

Can I just ask if you expect this to be a short term or a longer term problem? ie, is the dog generally fit and healthy, or is that too on its last legs? Are the vet's bills likely to be an ongoing expense, and is your brother unlikely to be able to afford them in the future?

beckysbobbles1

I think you've received some sound advice already.

I just wanted to suggest taking out pet insurance. The current conditions may not be 'covered' but it maybe worth it for the future.

Also as others have said, if your brother is financially hard up, he may be able to go to RSPCA/PDSA for vet support.

Best of luck with getting this sorted and I am sorry for your loss.