Plan for the care of your pet

To make sure they do not end up in a shelter or with someone who will not care for them properly, we recommend planning for the care of any pets owned by you or the person you’re planning for. Here are some steps you can take:

1) Carry a Pet Alert card:

  • This will provide emergency contacts, and ensure that a pet is quickly taken care of if something happens to its owner

  • Get an example card to print from ASPCA here

2) Create a care instruction sheet

  • This will help a new caregiver understand how to take care of a pet and make them comfortable

  • Things to include:

    • Habits

    • Food preferences

    • Medical conditions and medications taken

    • Veterinary information and records

    • Behavior around other pets/people/children

  • Keep this in a safe, accessible place with other important papers, and make sure someone knows where to find it.

3) Make a plan for what would happen to a pet if it could no longer be taken care of

  • Informal: Ask someone if they would be willing to take care of a pet if needed

    • Make sure to talk to this person and confirm, orally or in writing, that this person will agree to be the guardian of the pet

    • Consider asking family, friends, neighbors, veterinarians, dog walkers, day-care/kennel staff, animal trainers, or a local humane or rescue group

    • Have a back-up person in mind in case the primary guardian can no longer take care of the pet when the situation occurs

    • This agreement is not legally enforceable, so make sure that the person who is asked is trustworthy

  • Formal: Establish a pet trust, a legal agreement providing for the care and financial support of a pet

    • In this arrangement, someone is designated to hold money for a pet for the life of the pet, or 21 years (in some cases longer)

    • Trusts are legally enforceable, which guarantees that a pet will be cared for

    • The trust can be specific about the type of care a pet will receive - ensuring things such as a daily walk, vet visits, or even a specific type of food

    • You should meet with a lawyer to create a pet trust for yourself or someone you’re planning for. You can find a local lawyer here

  • Note: We do not recommend including a pet in a will. This can cause problems in a pet’s life because there can be delays in administering a will, and if the caregiver that has been designated for some reason can’t care for the pet, then no one has the responsibility to care for the pet

dependents & pets, planning, getting organizedJennifer Goodpets, planning, financial and propertyComment