Planning for your animal in the event that they outlive you

This is not a pleasant topic to broach, but as many of you know, I have a facebook page dedicated to animal crossposting. I have been very distressed in recent months to see so much "senior dumping". Older dogs from 4-17 have been dumped at kill shelters by their owners or by other family members. These dogs are dumped for various reasons- illness of owner, demise of owner, owner goes into a nursing home, owner can't afford vet care for seniors.

Well guess what the chance of one of these Senior pets is of making it out of an animal control shelter- slim to none. Oh, sure, a few lucky ones get adopted or picked up by rescues, but this is the vast minority.

Shelters euthanize 3 to 4 million because of limited means to care for them. A shelter usually chooses older dogs for euthanasia before younger ones, according to the ASPCA.


If you love your animal, it is imperative that you develop a contingency plan for the animal in the event that it out-lives you or your ability to care for it. An animal, if adopted as a kitten or puppy, can mean a 12-18+ year commitment.


So, what are things that YOU can do to make sure your animals are taken care of and not "senior dumped" if you are no longer there or able to care for them?


1. Frist, lets talk about the seniors who are dumped becasue owners can't afford care:

• Make sure you feed the animal high quality food and keep up with routine check ups and immunizations.
• Keep your pet(s) indoors.  Indoor pets tend to be healthier than outdoor pets.
• Call around and ask vets for their pricing structure. It can vary significantly and maybe a neighboring town has a much more cost effective vet.
• Take advantage of low cost immunization and spay/neuter clinics.
• Many vets or organizations offer discount pet care to senior citizens. Seek these out.
• When you first get your animal, start a "savings" account for medical expenses.  A few dollars every week adds up.
• HSUS and ASPCA have great resources on their web pages for senior animal care
• Resources from the HSUS for people who can't afford medical care: 

  National organizations that provide financial assistance to pet owners in need

  Please keep in mind that each organization is independent and has their own set of rules and guidelines. Therefore you will have to investigate each one separately to determine if you qualify for assistance:
  IMOM Inc.: IMOM.org
  Help-A-Pet: help-a-pet.org
  The Pet Fund: thepetfund.com
  Good Sam Fund: goodsamfund.org
  United Animal Nations LifeLine Fund: uan.org
  Angels for Animals: angels4animals.org
  Brown Dog Foundation: browndogfoundation.org/home 
  Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program: fveap.org
  Feline Outreach: felineoutreach.org
  Cats In Crisis: catsincrisis.org
  The Perseus Foundation (cancer-specific): PerseusFoundation.org
  Canine Cancer Awareness: caninecancerawareness.org
  Cody's Club (radiation treatments): codysclub.bravehost.com/
  Diabetic Pets Fund: petdiabetes.net/fund/
  The Mosby Foundation: themosbyfoundation.org
  Magic Bullet Fund (cancer-specific): themagicbulletfund.org
  The Binky Foundation: binkyfoundation.org
  God's Creatures Ministry Veterinary Charity: http://www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html
  Jake Brady Memorial Fund: http://www.myjakebrady.com/memorial_fund.shtml
  GiveForward (set up a personal fundraising page): http://www.giveforward.org/

2.  Now lets talk about what you can do if you can no longer take care of your Senior pet(s) due to your health or demise:

• PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!  Have a network of relatives or friends and talk to them about the possibility of taking care of your dog or cat if you can no longer take care of them yourself.
• Make sure your animals are mentioned in your will - if you have funds available, designate some for their care and find someone who is actually willing to care for them.
• You may desire to establish a trust for the benefit of your pet. Although approximately half of the United States do recognize trusts that name an animal as the beneficiary. While it is not possible to create an enforceable trust solely for the benefit of an animal, it is possible to establish an enforceable trust for the benefit of the animal’s caretaker.
• http://livingtrustnetwork.com/estate-planning-center/261.html?task=view
• Leave SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS about the care of your pet and who you want to assume ownership.  Make sure you select someone who will honor your wishes.
• Write out important information about your dog and instruct someone where this document may be found. A file folder should include medical records, licensing information, special food needs, etc. But perhaps even more important, write a personality profile of your pet - its likes and dislikes, its good and its bad habits, its favorite playtime activity, the fact that it loves to chew ice cubes! Give the new owner all the information possible to facilitate your pet's transition to a new home. (http://www.grca-nrc.org/if_something_happens.html)
• If you have no one to take care of your pet(s), contact no-kill rescues who may be able to help place a pet if you can no longer care for it. 

• REMEMBER- THIS IS ALL ABOUT PRE-PLANNING!   IF YOUR INCAPACITY OR DEMISE ARE SUDDEN AND YOU HAVE NOT PLANNED FOR YOUR PETS, THE OUTCOME IS OFTENTHAT THEY SUFFER THEIR DEMISE OR ARE ABANDONED!