'I'm 28 and I decided to write my will... for my dog. Here's why.'

Ciara Wynne can't predict the future, but she can prepare for it.

And to be sure her dog would be looked after in the event of her death, Wynne included him in her will.

The 28-year-old adopted Maverick, her six-year-old "mixed bag breed", three years ago. Raised as an animal lover, she knew from the moment he was hers that she needed to set him up for life.

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"I think the idea of a will is taboo, but it's really important to have," Wynne tells Mamamia. "I've done a lot of travelling in my life and I live abroad now so I just thought it'd be really good and have something official down.

"And I didn't want questions up in the air. I wanted it locked in. I wanted to know he would be looked after, so I just decided to do it on a whim."

Admittedly, it's a little unorthodox to write a will at 28 years old and Wynne confessed she didn't let her family know beforehand...

Which meant the email to announce that she'd written one came as a surprise. 

"I actually finished doing up my will and then the company I did it with, Gathered Here, notified them," she recalls. "My sister was like, 'This is kind of morbid but very responsible of you.'"

Ciara Wynne included her dog Maverick in her will. Image: Supplied.

One of the main reasons she was adamant to write a will, besides the peace of mind of knowing her assets would be protected, was to ensure Maverick could live a happy and comfortable life. After hearing harrowing stories from her family, who are animal lovers just like her, she didn't want to take the chance on his safety. Rather, she wanted to guarantee it. 

"He's my baby and I just don't have a lot of family here but I do have a lot of family that work in the veterinary field, and when there is no destination for an animal, sometimes they can actually just be put down," she explains. 

"[I'm from Ireland] so they can come across a lot of healthy animals who have been surrendered or have been put down simply because there wasn't anything set in stone for them.

"I never want that to be the case for Maverick," she continues. "I really wanted to make sure he was absolutely covered from all aspects for the rest of his life in the case of my death."

With Gathered Here, a free website for end-of-life services including wills, funerals and probate, Wynne was able to choose how she wanted her assets to be divided. 

Image: Supplied.

She chose to leave a portion for the guardian who will look after Maverick to ensure he has health insurance and other expenses paid for, for the remainder of his life. The 28-year-old also included that if her partner was unable to care for their dog, Maverick would be sent to Ireland, where the rest of her family lives. 

Based on research conducted by Gathered Here, it seems most young Australians under 25 are likely to include a charity in their own will – something Wynne also did.

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"I came across the section where you could nominate a percentage to charity and that was something I actually hadn't thought about," she recalls. "So when that popped up, I thought that was a really, really good idea. Along with Maverick, I've left a percentage to a pet rescue and also a wildlife hospital."

Wynne encourages everyone to make a will and consider including a charity, especially young people.

"[In death] you're not around to dictate what you would want," she says. "No one really knows your intentions, so it really puts my mind at ease [to know] that what I want is written down so it can't be disputed.

"The only thing guaranteed in this life is death and we can't really fight against it, so the best thing you can do is be prepared should anything happen." 

Feature Image: Supplied.

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