It is a sad fact of life that all living things eventually must die, and an even sadder fact when you think about the 50 animals per hour in the US that are euthanized because their owners passed away and noone was there to care for them. In this day and age, luckily the US is starting to enact laws, much like the UK has already done, to protect these loyal pets after their owners have passed. Home Sweet Home Pet Sitting strongly urges those of you financially fortunate enough to remember your pets in your legal documents, trusts, and wills. 

Luckily, some people have family members or friends to step in and care for their pets when they are infirmed or pass away. The often grieving pet may not always be so lucky if there is not a strong support network to step in for the good of the animal. Please see the excellent website www.2ndchance4pets.org for the staggering statistics of animals whose owners could not properly prepare for their pets future in case they were to predispose them. There is hope, though, if you prepare ahead of time for the inevitable! The aforementioned website has lots of valuable tools and information to help you start planning for the security of your pets, just as many prepare for the future of their children.

Once passed, a trust could be legally created for the sole purpose of providing for the animal once the owner is gone, whether it be kept in its own home or placed in a new forever home. It is foreseeable that given there is property, a caretaker could take care of the animal in its own home-and the trustee in charge of the pet trust would oversee and make sure the animal was properly cared for and loved. "Pet Care Panels"  can also be formed, and can include your friends, family, veterinarian, and yes, even your local pet sitter!! Another really great site is www.estateplanningforpets.org.   There are even companies that will work out a whole comprehensive plan for the assurance of your pets well being. www.PetGuardian.com  can help, also, and they have ties with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and rescue network. Some rescues will take your animal and care for it for life once a certain fee has been paid or promissary note signed. Please see the websites for the specifics.

It is my understanding that currently in Delaware, you can name a person in your will to be a beneficiary and put in the wording of the will that the money is to be used for the care of the pet for its lifetime. The beneficiary is NOT the trustee or the caregiver, to avoid conflicts of interest. The care of the animal is monitored by a trustee or "pet care panel" who assures the animal is being well cared for by the caregiver. The animal lives its life out comfortably, funded by the trust, and all monies leftover after the animal has passed away would go to the beneficiary. A DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY addresses the requests of the person should they become infirmed- The designee would then make legal and medical decisions for that person, guided by the language in the document. Life insurance policies can be purchased naming a beneficiary and a trustee who would be responsible to make sure the pet owners wishes were carried out. It gets kinda complex for "the layman," so please see your attorney for the exact current laws on estate planning for your pets.