As an animal owner, you are responsible for the care, feeding and everyday maintenance of your animals. You probably don’t think twice about all that you do when you take care of your animals. Also, you may have never thought of what would happen to your animals if you couldn’t care for them.
Think about the Care and Maintenance of Your Animals
As an animal owner, you are responsible for the care and maintenance of your animals every day. Generally, on a day by day basis, the animals are covered. You feed them, water them and take care of them when they are ill. Most of us don’t think about what happens to our animals if one day, we never come home. Who will take care of our animals on that day and all the days thereafter?
What Should you Do?
For many of us, taking time to meet with loved ones to discuss the topic of the care and maintenance of your animals, never happens. When you leave the house in the morning to begin your day, have you left accurate instructions about how to take care of your animals if you never came home. Many animals are euthanized (destroyed) in the United States every year if their owner dies or is unable to care for them, simply because the owner has not provided adequately for their care.
Enlarge your Estate Plan
There is a solution to this problem. Enlarge your estate plan to provide for the care of your animals in your trust. Putting the estate plan in place requires some action on your part. First of all, you need to make certain you have the resources necessary to care for the animals after you are gone. You can determine who will care for the animals, and how the care is given. You can notify the caregiver about special feeding and medical treatment of the animals as well the veterinarian and other support people who may be required. You also need to sit down with your professional estate planning professional to write down your specific goals and objectives. The professional can help you to determine the rules and gegulations in your specific situation. Also remember, each state has its own requirements.
Additional Resources
Let’s Not Forget Those Good Friends we Leave Behind, by Owen E. McAfferty, CPA.