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It would be very interesting to know what the outcome was in this case. By law you are responsible for what happens to your pets so you must be very careful when you leave them in the care of someone else. It may be a good idea to anticipate the worse case scenario. If you use a professional animal minder like a kennels or cattery and something happens to one member of staff there are others there to see to your animals and of course you have a contract with them. Relying on someone you don't know too well is a recipe for disaster if they let you down or meet with the unexpected - say your neighbour was feeding your cat and they got run over by a bus, who would know that they were caring for your cat and take over? The law says you must 'take reasonable steps to ensure that the person to whom he transfers responsibility will care for it appropriately' I would think that ladyjayjay did indeed do this by having a second person to ensure that the other was actually doing what they agreed to do in looking after the animals.
I wonder why the rspca became involved in this case, I assume someone became concerned about the animals after the 'carer' went on holiday, and called the rspca, but why someone would become concerned in such a short space of time I don't know.
If this had gone to court it would fallen on ladyjayjay to show that the steps she took to 'ascertain the competence of the person to whom she transferred responsibility were “reasonable in all the circumstances”' If she trusted the land owner and had the backup of a friend to check on the animals then surely she has shown herself to be a caring and responsible owner, who had done the best for her animals. The courts of course could have a different view of what was 'reasonable'.
I would say that if you go away, make sure you get a signed written contract containing detailed care instructions with whoever you get to care for your pets, even if it is a friend, to cover yourself and of course to ensure the safety of your pets.
I wonder why the rspca became involved in this case, I assume someone became concerned about the animals after the 'carer' went on holiday, and called the rspca, but why someone would become concerned in such a short space of time I don't know.
If this had gone to court it would fallen on ladyjayjay to show that the steps she took to 'ascertain the competence of the person to whom she transferred responsibility were “reasonable in all the circumstances”' If she trusted the land owner and had the backup of a friend to check on the animals then surely she has shown herself to be a caring and responsible owner, who had done the best for her animals. The courts of course could have a different view of what was 'reasonable'.
I would say that if you go away, make sure you get a signed written contract containing detailed care instructions with whoever you get to care for your pets, even if it is a friend, to cover yourself and of course to ensure the safety of your pets.
