These green pet plaques have just launched – and we can’t think of a cuter way to honour our animals

We’re all familiar with the iconic English Heritage blue plaques, which denote that a person of historic interest has lived or spent time in a property. Think Mary Poppins author PL Travers or Bauhaus designers and teachers Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and László Moholy-Nagy – all of whom have been awarded with the honour this year.

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But now a brand new plaque has stepped into the mix, and this time it’s designed especially for our four-legged companions.

‘Pet Plaques’ in a distinctive shade of olive green have been launched today by TrustedHousesitters – the world’s biggest house and pet-sitting site. As far as we know, it's the first plaque scheme dedicated to animals.

Commemorating the achievements of our furry friends, the distinctive pointy-eared plaques are already being attached to homes the length and breadth of the UK.

There have been 20 recipients of the plaque so far, including heroic pets. These include Flora the dog (pictured below), who developed a life-saving sense of smell that could predict her owner Robert's oncoming blackouts. And Walnut the whippet, who completed his favourite beach walk with owner Mark and scores of four and two-legged fans from across the country before he was laid to rest.

For the kitty contingent, we have the likes of Smudge the cat, who squared up to bullies trying to intimidate her nine-year-old owner Ethan.

Commenting on the launch, Tim Lyons, Managing Director at TrustedHousesitters said: ‘There are countless stories across the country of pets who have a special bond with their owners or do something incredibly heroic.

‘For over a hundred years we have honoured deserving people with blue plaques. We felt it was time to celebrate the nation’s love for our animals by honouring them in a similar way. We’re now looking forward to hearing more inspirational tales of cherished pets as the scheme continues to grow.’

If you know an animal you think is deserving of the award, you can nominate them here.

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This gives a whole new meaning to the idea of making your neighbours green with envy. And we can just imagine pets puffing out their chests as they take a tour of their neighbourhood post award-win!