A legal service that enables pet owners to name an animal guardian and sets out clear instructions for their ongoing care in the event of their death or incapacitation has been awarded £75,000 by Innovate UK.
PetPact® is a digital platform that helps pet owners plan for their animal’s future care if they become seriously ill, die or separate from a partner. PetPact allows owners to name an animal guardian and sets out clear instructions for their ongoing care and sits alongside their Will.
Founded by Rachel Roche, of Yorkshire-based Roche Legal, PetPact has been awarded £75,000 through Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Award. Roche was selected from a record 1,590 applicants from across the UK.
Statistics from UK Pet Food’s annual survey estimate 62% of households own one of the UK’s 36.5 million pets. As it stands in England and Wales pets are legally classed as property. Research by the Association of Lifetime Lawyers found in 2025 that 60% of UK adults over 30 are unaware of their pet’s legal status.
In 2025 a working group was formed to look at how UK legislation could be amended to better deal with the increasing number of disputes between separating partners when it comes to pets. Discussing the work of the group on the Today’s Family Lawyer Podcast its participants explain how foreign jurisdictions, including Australia and Spain, can provide a helpful steer on enacting legislation which reforms the status of pets as chattels . A series of parliamentary petitions have hit the government threshold for parliamentary debate, the most recent of which closed last month.
Commenting on the award Roche said: “Like me, every pet owner hopes they will always be there to care for their furry, feathered or scaled friend but life is unpredictable.
“Currently, your dog has the same legal status as your sofa but nobody grieves for the loss of a sofa. We plan carefully for our children and finances and the law should let us do the same for the animals who are part of our families.
“PetPact gives owners that protection today and this Innovate UK award will help us demonstrate how we can reach pet owners at scale through the vets and insurers they already trust.”
Danny Chambers MP, a veterinary surgeon and MP for Winchester, added: “As a vet, I have seen how deeply people love their animals but our law still treats pets as property. Initiatives like PetPact help owners plan properly for their pets’ care and show why it’s time the law caught up with the way families really feel about their animals.”
PetPact was one of 61 winners in this year’s Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards, which offers a year-long package of business support, training and networking alongside the grant funding.
