As responsible pet owners, we try to take good care of our pets, but if you're not there anymore who will look after your best friend?
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When Leona Helmsley died in 2007, her estate was worth billions. She left most of it to charitable trust. A small portion went to certain family members. She also left twelve million dollars to a trust for the care of her dog, an eight-year-old white Maltese named “Trouble”.
Have you ever considered what would become of your pet if something should happen to you? While very few people have the resources to provide for a pet the way the Leona Helmsley did, the truth is that most of us don’t make any provisions for our pets at all.
I suppose it may have something to do with the fact that their life spans are so much shorter than ours that we just naturally expect to outlive our furry friends.
Many of us have wills that provide for our families, and specify how our worldly goods are to be divided among our heirs, but rarely do they address what will happen to our surviving pets. Unfortunately, such pets often end up in animal shelters, which is not what the owner would have wanted at all.
To prevent this from happening to your pet, it’s a good idea to make some specific arrangements ahead of time. What you want to find is a person who cares about animals, someone you can trust to take good care of your pet - maybe a family member, or a good friend.
If you have several pets, you may decide to seek out two or three people. Explain that you’re making arrangements “just in case”, and ask if they would be willing to accept the responsibility for your pets, should something unexpectedly happen to you.
Then write it all down. Be sure to include the name of the person who will care for each pet and how to contact him or her, and a description of the care you want your pet to receive. You may want to talk with your legal advisor about the best way to ensure your furry little friends won’t end up homeless if you’re no longer in the picture. There are also online resources available to help with planning for your pet’s care in your absence.
Remember that a good relationship is a lifetime commitment - their lifetime, when you’re speaking of pets.
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