Last year, over 200,000 dogs and cats were euthanized in kill shelters across Florida before they could be adopted out. That’s atrocious!
We animal lovers can’t imagine our pets coming to such an awful end and we would do literally anything to protect our pets. But what happens to your pets if something happens to you? If we are lucky, we have people in our lives who would step in, take our pets in, and care for them in more or less the same way we would. But what if we don’t have such a person? What if taking our pets in would be a financial burden to our loved ones? What if the person we thought would take care of our pets has to make other arrangements? Without money to care for your pets, they might just end up in the shelter and then…. I can’t even think about it!
With a Pet Trust, you can set aside money for the care of your pets, just as you would if you passed away leaving minor children. Additionally, you can designate a person to care for the pets. That person can either be given the power over the money for their care, or you can give that power to another person. And, you can spell out exactly what kind of care you want for your pets, for instance, yearly teeth cleaning, vaccinations, and grooming. You can even leave instructions on which vet/groomer you want them to go to.
The fact is no one loves and cares for our pets like we do. Make sure that if anything happens to you, your pets get the consistency of care that you would give them. Make a Pet Trust either in your Will or in your Revocable Living Trust. You wouldn’t leave your minor children to fend for themselves. Don’t leave your pets hanging out there!
