Fido and Fefe want/need a say in life conversations. I have included a section in the Vital
Information Form about pets. And I am
thinking about including plants/ gardening in the form as well. Thoughts?
But let’s focus on pets for now as the plant idea percolates
in my brain. Kids or friends may not
want a pet and if there is no mention of care for the animal(s) in the will,
what is a family to do? The Pennsylvania
SPCA has a solution. Anyone who sets up
a planned gift that benefits the PSPCA will be assured that their animal (limit
of 2 dogs or cats) will be taken care of until an appropriate home is
found. And this information must be
known to family members so that when the time comes, the surviving member knows
who to call to care for the animal. We
can plan meticulously but if no one knows what we are thinking, our plans may
go out the window.
The website for the Guardian Surrender program is: http://www.pspca.org/support-us/planned-giving/gifts-of-bequest/. Other avenues for pet protection are trusts, “pet
protection agreements”, or a written bequest to a specific person. The latter may have a specific amount of
money for the care of the animal attached to it.
Even if one does not have significant funds to leave to a
beneficiary, an individual should write down what he/she wants for the
pets. If an individual has to go into a
nursing home, the pet may go to the nearest shelter or may be left alone to
manage for itself. Either way, if we
took on the responsibility of housing an animal, we need to take on the responsibility
of giving direction to others to care for our pet when we are no longer able to
do it ourselves.
Image: Margaret McMullen
I've done this for my children, but not yet about my dog. Thank you.
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