Have you given a thought to what will happen to your animal friends after you die? This is a really important topic that many people don’t want to address.
I had to change my will, trust actually, because two people to whom I would have left pets died. One was my friend, Jean, whose illness and subsequent death I have discussed many times on this page. In the event that my husband was not able to take our pets, Jean was to get whatever dogs or cats we had at the time. When she passed, I changed my trust. Our horses were to go to our trainer, but he died suddenly and unexpectedly in June 2007 at 52. The horses will now go to a young woman we know if my sister doesn’t wish to take the horses. No one takes better care of animals than my sister. She even rescues cats with her organization FACT.
When Jean was first diagnosed with cancer in summer 2007, she immediately gave her dog and cat to friends. She knew that she would be immune-suppressed from chemo, plus it would be difficult for her to care for them. As her personal representative (executor), I followed through on her hand-written request to give some financial support to the people who now had Mango the dog and Colette the cat. I cut them a check after consulting with Jean’s brother on an appropriate amount. The nice couple, Marcy and David, set up a fund with the money to be used only for Colette and Mango.
Even if you provide for your pets after you die, things can change along the way. Be sure that you keep up to date on where you want your pets to be after you pass. Also be sure that the people you want to leave your pets to actually will take them.