{"id":2145236,"date":"2025-10-17T17:42:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T16:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/yorkshire\/?p=2145236"},"modified":"2025-10-17T17:42:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T16:42:45","slug":"who-gets-the-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/yorkshire\/news\/2145236-who-gets-the-dog","title":{"rendered":"Who gets the dog?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] thread-sm:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] thread-lg:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] thread-lg:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"cae61fe7-9c15-4d05-bc27-d5923523ce58\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words light markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"88\" data-end=\"278\">A York-based law firm has unveiled an innovative digital legal product designed to safeguard the future of Britain\u2019s pets if their owners become ill, pass away, or separate from a partner.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"280\" data-end=\"636\">Roche Legal, founded by solicitor Rachel Roche, has developed PetPact\u00ae, a new online tool that allows pet owners to record who should care for their animals should they no longer be able to. The platform provides an online statement of wishes, which can be updated at any time and even incorporated into a Will or made into a binding legal agreement.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"638\" data-end=\"919\">Rachel, who created a PetPact\u00ae for her own dog, Molsey, said: \u201cEvery pet owner hopes to always be there for their animals, but life can be unpredictable. PetPact\u00ae gives people peace of mind by making it clear who should care for their pets and how they should be looked after.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"921\" data-end=\"1133\">The tool also helps avoid disputes between co-owners in cases of relationship breakdown. While UK law continues to treat pets as property, courts are increasingly considering animal welfare in separation cases.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1135\" data-end=\"1362\">A recent high-profile U.S. ruling reinforced this trend when a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge declared that dogs should be considered \u201cimmediate family\u201d rather than property \u2014 a development Rachel hopes the UK will soon follow.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1364\" data-end=\"1593\">She added: \u201cOur long-term ambition is to modernise how the law views and protects pets. PetPact\u00ae is the first step toward ensuring our furry, feathered, and scaled companions are treated with the care and respect they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Law firm launches digital tool to protect pets when owners can\u2019t look after them<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":271992,"featured_media":2145237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53262],"coauthors":[137100],"class_list":["post-2145236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","tag-featured-story","tag-yorkshire"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Who gets the dog? | TheBusinessDesk.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Law firm launches digital tool to protect pets when owners can\u2019t look after them\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/yorkshire\/news\/2145236-who-gets-the-dog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who gets the dog? 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