At Kuhn & Kuhn, our job is to help you make sure your family is safe and secure no matter what happens to you. The assistance that we offer does not just extend to ensuring that your two-legged family members are protected and provided for. We also know that your four-legged friends and animal companions are important members of the family – and we work with you to make a plan to ensure that they are provided for.
Millions of pets end up abandoned and in shelters when their owners pass away– and you don’t want your pet to be one of them. Your animals deserve the very best care you can offer, and that means making a pet plan to provide for them if you are gone. Kuhn & Kuhn will help you to make effective use of legal tools to make sure your animals are always cared for. To find out about the ways in which we can help you to make a pet plan, give us a call. You can also get answers to questions you have about the pet planning process including:
- Why should I make a pet plan?
- What should be part of my pet plan?
- How can a pet planning lawyer help?
Why Should You Make a Pet Plan?
If something happens to you and you become incapacitated, your pets may need care immediately. Your pet plan can begin with doing something as simple as making a card to carry in your wallet specifying that your animals are home alone and providing the contact information of someone who should be called to go and get your pets so they are not left uncared for.
If you will be unable to care for your pet in the long-term, there are bigger concerns for your animal’s future. Your animals could be in jeopardy of becoming homeless or of not having a caregiver with funds to provide for their care if you pass away or if you become ill or injured and cannot live in your home and continue to care for them.
You don’t want your pets to end up in a shelter because there is no one to care for them. You also don’t want your pets going to live with someone who you do not think will provide them with adequate care, and you don’t want their quality of life to decline because it is too costly to provide them with care.
To make sure your pets are still safe and secure even if you cannot be there to provide for them, you should put a pet plan in place. In fact, you should do this as soon as possible when you assume responsibility for the care of an animal because there is never a guarantee that something won’t happen to you that leaves you unable to care for your pets.
What Should Be Part of Your Pet Plan?
Your pet plan should, at a minimum, involve naming a guardian who you want to entrust with the care of your animals. By naming someone to take care of your pets, you can ensure that there is a designated person willing to take responsibility. You can also ensure your pets don’t end up going to someone who you don’t think will care for them properly.
Be sure to talk with the person you are selecting to be your pet’s guardian and make sure they are willing and able to take on the responsibility. You should also consider naming a backup guardian in case something unforeseen occurs and your first choice caregiver is unable to care for the pets at the time when it becomes necessary.
In addition to making a plan for who will care for your animals, you should also consider making a plan for their financial support. Veterinary care and other costs can be high, and you want to ensure your animals have the very best.
While you could provide money in a will, your animals cannot inherit directly or manage money and providing funds in a will gives you little control. Instead, consider making a trust to provide for the care of your animals. Your trustee will have a fiduciary duty to use the assets in accordance with your wishes to provide for your pets, and a fiduciary duty is the highest duty any person can owe under the law.
How Can a Pet Planning Lawyer Help You?
A pet planning lawyer can help you to put plans in place to protect your pet no matter what happens in the future. Give Kuhn & Kuhn a call today to find out how a Charleston pet planning lawyer can help you.
