An estimated 500,000 companion animals are relinquished and euthanized in shelters each year simply because their owners pass away or become too ill to care for them.
Make sure you have a plan in place to guarantee the lifetime care for YOUR pets.
Components of a lifetime care plan:
Step 1: Identify Caregivers.
Identify people who could step in to take short term care of your pets in the hours, days, or weeks after an emergency, or who would adopt your pets should you become incapacitated or pass away. If you cannot find friends, relatives or neighbors to care for your pets, your veterinarian, local pet sitters, and animal rescue groups may be able to help you locate potential caregivers.
Step 2: Prepare written instructions outlining how your pets should be cared for.
How do you want your pets to live – in another house or in a sanctuary? What kind of special care do your pets require? Do you want your pets to stay together? To make sure that your wishes are followed, your instructions must be written down and someone must know where to find them.
Step 3: Set up a fund specifically for the care of your pets.
You currently pay for food, shelter, supplies, and medical care for your pets. Those expenses won’t stop, even if you aren’t around to pay them. You may want to set aside funds for temporary or foster care, transportation to a new home and the ongoing care of your pets.
Step 4: Select a plan that’s best for YOUR pets.
