A local dog owner has given a stark reminder and a heartfelt plea for fellow animal lovers to make an allowance for pets to be taken care of in their will or they may get put down.

In a moving story, Julie Mooney, of Milton, told the Observer how she recently aquired 10-year-old Jack Russell cross ‘Jude’ from her late owner Judy, who was a very good friend.

“I first met Judy in church, we formed a friendship through our love of dogs and having no children,” said Julie.

Judy was widowed and only had a sister in Lincolnshire. She learnt early in August 2016 that she had breast cancer, and received treatment, but by August was taken into Singleton Hospital and was told the cancer had spread to her brain and was given two to three months to live.

“She was extremely brave, on coming home she organised her funeral, and tried to put her affairs in order,” continued Julie.

“As she had no family (and for reasons I don’t know only wanted the help of myself and two other friends), I was with her speaking to the Paul Sartori Foundation, social services and had meetings with the Macmillan nurse.

“The worst time was when she was nearly bed-ridden and crying saying she didn’t want to die, as she loved her dog. The three of us sat crying, holding hands, no words would get us out of what was to happen.

“It got worse, I couldn’t organise care quickly enough, as the cancer took hold, she collapsed at night and was taken into Withybush Hospital,” continued Julie.

Even though Judy had put Julie and another friend down as next of kin, and both were on her ‘statement of wishes’, they said that it was hard to get anyone to speak to them on matters.

Eventually the Macmillan nurse got Julie a meeting with the doctor at Withybush and Judy was moved to Tenby Cottage Hospital.

“I cannot thank Tenby Cottage staff enough, they treated Judy wonderfully and us with compassion and respect, even though we were not ‘family’ but were all Judy had,” explained Julie.

“Myself, Dorothy and Merrick were with Judy every day for the last two months of her life, and I had also taken her dog Jude to visit her there.

“When Judy was first diagnosed, she was only worried for Jude, not herself, and I promised I would look after her.

“We spent a lot of time, getting Jude used to my home and my dog, with afternoon visits, then overnight visits, then each time Judy was in hospital, Jude came to stay or I would rush over to her house and bring the dog back, or walk her as I had keys to her house, for when she was kept in unexpectedly.”

Jude was on pills with bills of about £50 a month and Judy had indicated to Julie not to worry about this.

“I presumed she had made it clear in her will, as Judy had said she was leaving most of her estate to Cancer Research,” continued Julie.

Judy died on November 22 at Tenby Cottage Hospital, with her wishes for only the three of her friends to attend the funeral, but to take the dog as well, which the crematorium gave permission for.

Judy was also cremated with Jude’s picture.

When the will was read, the solicitor told Julie that Judy’s estate had been left to Cancer Research, with no provision for Jude’s medication.

After some persisting with the solicitor, Julie wrote to Cancer Research, after checking with the vet, but their official line was - ‘the general rule is that assets due to them as a charity, must be applied exclusively for the objects of that charity’ and if Julie could not care for the dog, the solicitor would contact Greenacres Animal Rescue Centre to see if they would take her.

“I had already told the solicitor that I had contacted Greenacres and, although they would try to rehome Jude, it would be unlikely with the monthly vet fees and she would be put down!” said Julie.

“Cancer is awful, I was there every day seeing Judy decline daily; my sister also had breast cancer.

“For the past 20 years, I have made a monthly direct debit to Cancer Research, but I have now cancelled this and will take them out of my will - but would Judy have left them her entire estate worth between £250k to £300k if she had known they would have her beloved dog Jude put down!

“I and everyone who knew Judy do not believe so.

“I really just want to make people aware when they leave all their money to a good cause, in this case Cancer Research, they would see your pet put down, rather than make a small allowance for its medical bills out of a large estate of over £250k,” she continued.

In response to the story, Maria King, head of legacy administration at Cancer Research UK, said: “Cancer Research UK has been left the estate of the late Mrs. Judith Smith in her will, and we are extremely grateful to her for this generous legacy gift.

“We understand that Jude was Mrs. Smith’s beloved dog and we know how important she was to her. However, Mrs. Smith did not include reference to Jude’s ongoing care in her will.

“As a gesture of goodwill, we have agreed to reimburse any expenses incurred by Mrs. Mooney for Jude’s care, including those incurred since Mrs. Smith passed away.

“In relation to the ongoing care of Jude, as we are required to use our charitable funds towards our objective of cancer research, we are unable to meet further expenses concerning Jude, as this wasn’t specified in Mrs. Smith’s will.

“Gifts in wills account for over a third of Cancer Research UK’s income and enable us to carry out pioneering work that has saved millions of lives, bringing us closer to the day when all cancers are cured,” she added.

Julie pointed out that the organisation’s ‘gesture of goodwill’ only amounted to £257.49 after she had to prove the amount to them with the vets’ bills.

SUPPORT AVAILABLE, SAYS RSPCA

“RSPCA Cymru sends its condolences to Judy’s loved ones, following her death. This sad story highlights the importance of making provisions for what will happen to pets, should they be left behind.

“Fortunately, support is available, and we’d urge all agencies to explore options in situations such as this.

“The RSPCA runs the ‘Home for Life’ scheme, which helps pets find loving new homes, should the worst happen to their owners. For many, the scheme offers a safety net, even if other plans are already in place.

“More information is available on the RSPCA’s website, and the service can be made available by adding a simple clause to a will, or a codicil.”