Will & the pets. I wrote one. Now time for the next one.

[irisblue]

When I made my most recent one, I had 2 dogs, 2 cats and a relationship. Things change. I am rewriting mine to try to cover Shaw & Dixie.
What are your legal plans to cover & protect your animals?

[procon]

1. Your title gave me a totally different perception of the actual topic you intended.

I thought it was the title of a children's book about a person named Will and his pets. Now that I have sussed out the hidden subject, I now understand you are writing about including your pets in your own Will.

Oddly enough, I have been thinking about that as well. No one in my family are cat people, and they are definitely not amenable to spoiled, pampered indoor cats. Its a troubling dilemma. I don't know if my two cats will find loving homes, and it worries me that they will be considered a bothersome nuisance and tossed out. I'm at the point of calling my vet and see if I can make arrangements to have them euthanized if they are unwanted. I can't even think about doing it, but the alternatives would br worse.

[crazycatlady]

3. Do you have friends who are cat people?

If worse comes to worse, leave them to the local SPCA who will find a home for them.

The sweetest cats I've met while volunteering with the local SPCA belonged to a late elderly man. They were big burly black cats (at least 15 lbs each) who were brothers. The condition was that they had to go together. THey lived up to their names-- Romeo and Casanova.

[Duppers]

2. Our son has a great relationship with our baby girl,

A big ole Lab. They adore each other. It's understood he gets her. Hubs & I are soon inheriting an older 8 yr old Lab from my 92yo mother. So, our 2 Labs will be pkg deal if something happened to both of us. We've discussed it and our son, a huge animal lover, has agreed to care for and love them both. His g.f., who's not a dog lover, knows the deal and any of her objections will be overridden. His bond with our Lab is that strong. So...We are lucky.

[mopinko]

4. a standard bit of advice

is to set aside some money to take care of them, especially for vet bills, etc. but not so much money that someone would take them just for the money.

i really need to get my will together. i have a lot of property, but i dont want my kids to get it. they are 4/5th assholes, and can kiss my ass.
the one fifth can have the 2 flat that she lives in, because she is disabled, and will always need some help.
i would rather my home go to the person that is here to help and take care of me when i need it. the animals come w the house.
i have a small bank account that will be deeded to the animals.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. That's an excellent point! Too few people make provisions for their pet family

I adopted two of my (senior) dogs who became homeless when a doting owner died. The estate of my cocker's owner paid for her to be boarded for a month and she was brought to my attention after three weeks. I just happened to go to that animal hospital for prescription dog food since my regular vet was out of town - and I already had another cocker so they asked if I'd meet her.

And I happened on my little guy (eight pound Brussels Griffon) when inquiring about another dog. His owner was apparently wealthy (her sister-in-law was actress Barbara bel Geddes of "Dallas" fame), but she died at 97 and made no provisions for her pets and he fell through the cracks.

Of the dogs I've had in my life, those two bonded immediately.

[CountAllVotes]

6. I've been thinking about this for years

Word of advice: BEWARE.

I was going to put the local no-kill shelter as the place to contact if I were to be alone and died leaving my three cats behind with no one to care for them. Well, I almost did die in 2009 and they began to call me on a daily basis wanting to come over and draw up a will of sorts for $4,000 at least. I was heavily medicated and in NO condition to be drawing up a will of any sort whatsoever and NO, I was not about to give them the keys to my house! They kept it up and it turned me OFF.

I decided (after said place received a lot of very BAD press locally) to forget about them and never pursued the matter with them again.

In the meantime, yes, I worry like all hell about this possibility.

When a relative died a number of years ago, his old dog (that was in very rough shape and had not been cared for properly) was left behind and his condition was so horrible that no one could bare to look at the poor little old dog.

The little dog was taken to the local shelter and left there in a carrier and they left the tags on the little old dog. I assume it was euthanized as no one claimed him as the owner had died. To this day, it haunts me. Could I have done anything? Was there anything that could have been done given the condition of the little old dog? I don't know as I never saw said dog.

Then came my father's cat. Dad died and the cat took off. The cat finally came back and he was rounded up and ... euthanized by my late mother as she claimed he was "sick". How sick was he exactly? I don't know but he couldn't have been too sick if he ran away after Dad died.

I wish I had an answer for you. As I said to begin with, BEWARE. There are people out there that prey on people in such situations as I and many others are in.

If you find an answer to this dilemma that many of us are facing (esp. if older or in poor health) I'd sure appreciate finding out what plans you are able to come up with. Coming up with $4,000+ to draw up a will of sorts is not an option for many of us.

I commend you in advance for thinking of this giant WHAT IF that faces every pet owner.

The thought of someone coming and taking my cats and euthanizing them is very upsetting to me and I too have no one in my family that would step up to the plate and take them in and care for them for the rest of their lives and I know it. Such is life eh? Towards the end, some of us find out how very alone we really are.

However, on a positive note, when my mother died she left behind her dog. She begged me to care for him for the rest of her life and I told her that I would do that. I remember my sibling stating, "Wait until the old lady is dead before you dump the dog." I was shocked but as least I knew what cloth said sibling is cut out of. It is the me me me me me word and nothing more. I remember saying to said sibling, "What sort of a person do you think I am anyway?". Haven't really spoken to said person since because ... wow does this person every SUCK!

I never dumped that dog nor even considered it! When he died I was devastated and I cried for many months afterwards as I was very attached to him. He is buried in my backyard along with many of my other beloved pets that I've had for the past 20 years or so.