Who will care for Milo and Roxy?
I am a dog lover….disclaimer…. I also like cats, but I am terribly allergic to them, which means, for now…. I am solely a dog owner. During the pandemic, my dogs have not needed to be in the crate very often as someone has been home consistently since March 2020. However, anytime that I do put my dogs in the crate, I wonder, "Who would take care of them if something happens to us?"
The question of who would care for my dogs bothered me so much that I made a point of bringing it up with my lawyer at my estate review meeting. I was pleased to find out that I could have my pets taken care of through provisions in my Will. Which is what I did precisely, the person who may one day be responsible for my "always sad-looking chocolate labradors" will not have to worry about the costs of vet bills or unique dietary constraints (because Milo is a sucky boy) as long as the dogs are living.
Having my fur-babies possible future planned out and documented certainly gives me a sigh of relief, as I have worked on estates where there were no plans laid out at all for their animals. Without a plan, this leaves the family in a possible scramble to figure out what to do with Fido or Feline. For instance, I have seen family pets surrendered due to unavailable friends or family to keep the animal or strangers adopting the deceased's beloved pet. The situations that I have encountered while working on estates caused me to realize that I would not want the same to happen for me.
If you know what you DON'T want, then how do you go about setting up what you DO want? Choosing what I wanted in my Will was surprisingly easy once broken into the following three considerations:
1) Who do you want to care for your pet? At first, I thought choosing the person would immediately come to me; however, I had to give it deep consideration. Does the person I am considering really want two incredibly sulky labs who can have either zero energy or 125% energy in a flash? The person I would choose would also WANT to take the dogs (this means I would have to talk to them about it) and needed the capabilities to do take them into their home. For example, do they have the space for the animal? Can they walk 140 lbs of combined dogs? Etc.
2) How much does it cost to maintain your pet? If you're like me, the pet expenses sort of happen to you.…I never really realize how much dog food is until I count up the debit transactions on my bank statement. Make a list of food, vitamins, toys, regular vet appointments, shots, and anything else that your animal requires throughout the year. Once you have the total…bump it up a bit because there are those "unknown" items, such as when the dog eats your sock, and it gets stuck in his belly. From there, you have an estimated annual total, and you can then multiply this amount by the approximate years you expect your pet to enjoy life. In my case, one dog is older, and the other is younger, so we used ten years to come to our total amount to leave in the Will.
3) Tell your pet….haha, no, don't do that.... they may not like the idea! Have your wishes updated in your Will. Keeping ideas and thoughts to ourselves does not help family and friends when trying to sort out a pets' living situation after you are gone. If you have a plan and person in mind to become a foster parent to your pet….get it documented.
As for Milo and Roxy, they are set up, and I feel better knowing that they have a preselected home to go to, and the transition should be relatively smooth, although they would miss me as I sneak them treats when no one else is looking. When you think about your pets and what would happen if you pass away before them, are you filled with a sense of relief that they are set up and cared for? Or, does it cause you to worry? If it causes worry, then it is time to set up a plan.