What happens to your pet(s) if something happens to YOU?
In April of 2009 I made the mistake of going onto Craigslist and looking through the pets section. I already had two cats and a ridiculously busy dog walking/pet sitting business that rendered my “never home” status completely consistent. I had no room for a dog and certainly didn’t have the time. As someone who had been a resident of Public Housing for five years at that point I also didn’t have the money to spend on another animal, let alone one that would require a lot of Vet bills…..like a Senior.
In April of 2009 I made the mistake of going onto Craigslist and looking through the pets section. I already had two cats and a ridiculously busy dog walking/pet sitting business that rendered my “never home” status completely consistent. I had no room for a dog and certainly didn’t have the time. As someone who had been a resident of Public Housing for five years at that point I also didn’t have the money to spend on another animal, let alone one that would require a lot of Vet bills…..like a Senior.
But one day, about a week before I was finally back on my
feet enough to be moving out of Public Housing and into a regular apartment
(with a pet friendly Landlord), I came across the most pathetic dog picture I’d
ever seen on Craigslist. Mind you, I was on there to post a listing for my dog
walking business, I had no intention of looking at dogs to adopt. But something
about his headline as I was scrolling through grabbed at my gut: “I’m 15 years
old, I’m Blind, I’m Deaf, and I Sat By My Owner’s Dead Body For Three Days…I’m
A MESS!”
I
knew the likelihood was high that, like most of the sad postings on Craigslist
in my area, this would be a Pit Bull at one of the local kill shelters that I
just wouldn’t be able to take (please don’t get on my case about not taking a
Pit Bull – I love them, but as a renter it’s very difficult to have one –
that’s a topic for MANY additional blog postings in the future). Instead, when
I clicked on the posting, what I saw was the most wretched looking excuse for a
God Only Knows What ten pound dog (it actually looked like something out of a
Dr. Seuss book) that I had ever seen. It was impossible to tell at the
time that it was a wire-haired Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua mix. I wish I still had that
photo, because he looked like a four footed version of Albert Einstein and
Phyllis Diller’s Love Child.
 |
Chance in my kitchen
contemplating the effort required to raid the kitty litter box looking for
cat poop treats. This is after he had a trip to the Groomer. Chance had lived
with an elderly shut-in who died at home. As a blind, deaf Senior dog
himself, he had been stuck on the bed with her dead body for an estimated
four days before they were discovered by his Landlady, due to his barking.
Because his human had not made any provisions for his care, at the age of 15
Chance found himself scared and confused in a local animal shelter. This
happens to dogs and cats every day.
|
That wretched looking little creature turned out to be Chance, my first dog in 19 years. And
there’s a whole lot I can (and will!) write about my amazing six month
experience with that precious boy, but the point today is that this poor thing
ended up in that condition, at that stage of his life, in the Mt. Vernon NY Animal
Shelter (and a big shout out to THEM for not euthanizing him immediately!) because…his owner did not make any provisions for him in her
Will. I don’t know if she even *had* a Last Will and Testament, but I
know she should have because she had cancer, knew she was dying, she lived
alone and yet for some reason did not make arrangements for what would happen
to this poor pitiful dog when she was gone. She probably just never thought
about it.
Don’t make that same mistake.
Thank God for Chance (and me!) he was taken to a shelter
where the staff and Volunteers felt so sorry for him (it turns out their
estimate was he’d been stuck on the bed with her dead body for FOUR days) that
rather than euthanize him they were desperately trying to find somebody –
ANYBODY – that would just get him out of the shelter and give him a home for
whatever time he had left. Not all senior dogs in his condition would be that
lucky. Many pets every day are not that lucky. He had a mess of health
problems from arthritis to kidney failure and congestive heart failure. He
could barely walk, his toenails had grown so long they curled under his feet
and he could hardly even stand up properly, he couldn’t see or hear and needed
to wear a male dog diaper/belly band when he was inside. Who in their right mind wants to take on a dog like that?
Answer: NOBODY. That’s how I ended up with him. (remember, I asked “who
in their right mind”?)
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| Chance five months after being sprung from the shelter. He was one of the lucky ones. |
Shelters Are Inundated
Animal shelters and rescue groups see this every day, with all age ranges of animals included in it and all types of pets. It’s a morbid topic to think our pets may outlive us, but even if you aren’t advanced in age, you just never know what could happen. Most people I know truly do love their pets as family members if not children. The thought of them landing in a shelter and possibly facing euthanasia is just devastating. Senior Citizens with pets DEFINITELY need to take steps to make legally binding plans for their pets.Family & Friends May Not Step In
Many people just assume that if something should happen to them it goes without saying that someone from their personal circle of family or friends will step up to the plate and take the pets. And boy is that a mistake! Everyone needs to designate AT LEAST THREE people as Guardians…and over the years you need to check in as life situations change and make sure people who first agreed are still willing and able. What if your friend that was single ten years ago and said they’d love to be Godparent to your German Shepherd mix has since gotten married and had kids…and one of those kids is allergic to dogs? Do you think Bo is going to live with them if you become incapacitated or pass away? What if your Dad has had a stroke and is no longer in any position to take care of your three cats if you can no longer do it? Circumstances change, people move, maybe all those people who were willing to take your pet(s) now have two pets of their own and no more room in their home or budget for another one. Maybe they've gone and adopted a pet of their own that isn't good with other animals. The list of reasons why you shouldn't assume all will be well is just endless.In The Event of an Emergency - BE PREPARED!
What if you have to go into the hospital and all the people willing to help with your pets and that know them live a plane ride or a day’s drive away? Those hours or days between when you are not able to be there and when the next of kin CAN get there still need to be covered, and a good Pet Sitter will be more than happy to jump in and help out in such an emergency. Make sure you have a relationship with at least one and that they have your house keys or other access capability and that they have all the info about your pets that they will need to provide care. I’m an advocate of leaving the pets' feeding, medicine info and care routines with a list of where food and leashes are posted to the refrigerator where anyone coming into the home to help in an emergency can easily find it. And make sure those out-of-town next-of-kin who can't get there for a day or two know who the Pet Sitter is and has their contact info - because if you're dead or on a respirator, you're not going to be able to tell anyone!There are so many variables that it’s VITAL you sit down, think about this and formulate a plan that will cover all possibilities. The Humane Society of the United States has a great downloadable PDF checklist on their web site (see below). What I would add to that list is that all pet parents should know at least TWO reliable local pet sitters that are familiar with their animals in case an emergency arises.
Helpful Info & Links
Legal Zoom and Peace of Mind Pet Trust have a lot of good information on this topic and can help you get started. It’s probably not a bad idea to also have an attorney familiar with Animal Law and Trusts and Estates go over it to make sure it’s all Kosher.
Don’t ASSUME that your pets will be taken care of should
something happen to you. MAKE SURE that your pets will be
in good hands should something happen to you!
Here are some helpful links and articles:
Deirdre Curran has
been a Professional Dog Walker/Pet Sitter since 2003. She's truly "seen it
all" and now also offers pet care consultation services in person and via
phone, email & SKYPE. You should contact her BEFORE you get the dog!
For more info visit her web site at www.askthedogwalker.com
You can email
Deirdre with questions or blog topic suggestions at:
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