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How to Provide for Pets After You’re Gone

How to Provide for Pets After You’re Gone

Your pets are a part of your family. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that they’re also taken care of after you’re no longer here. However, by law, pets are considered property, and you can’t use your will to leave them an inheritance like you can for your children. Instead, here are the steps you can take to provide for your pets’ care when you make a will: 

Include a pet clause 

Pets are seen as property under the law, so they’re a part of your estate, just like any property you own. Because of this, you can use your will to leave them as a gift to someone. To do this, you will list the recipient as a beneficiary in your will and name the pet as what they’ll receive. The person you entrust with your pet is called a pet guardian or caregiver and they can then legally take over your pet’s care permanently.

When listing your pets in your will, be specific — especially if you own more than one animal. For example, instead of writing “my dog goes to my sister,” write your dog’s name and breed and use your sister’s full legal name. This will help reduce any confusion and provide proper details to ensure a seamless transition.

Choose a pet guardian

When deciding on a guardian for your pets, choose someone you know and trust. You’ll want to pick someone who will love and provide for your pets like you would, so ideally this person will be someone close to you. This person will become your pet’s new owner and will be responsible for providing food, shelter, care, and love.

Becoming a pet guardian is a big responsibility, so make sure your chosen person is ready for that! If you have several pets, think about whether you want one person to care for all of them or if you want to send them to separate homes. If there’s no one in your life you trust to look after your pets, you may consider naming a specific local shelter or rescue group as their beneficiary — just make sure you clear it with the organization first and consider leaving them a donation to help. 

If you have especially complicated pet care wishes, you might want to speak to an attorney to make sure they’re carried out.

Leave money to your pets

Since your pets are considered property, you can’t leave them money directly. However, if you name a pet guardian for them, you can leave money and property to that person.

However, your pet guardian isn’t legally required to honor your will’s requests. That makes it especially important that you leave your pet with someone you trust to follow your wishes.

If you want to set aside money for your pet’s care with a legally binding obligation that it’s used only for your pet’s benefit, then you should speak to an estate planning attorney. They can help you establish a pet trust.

Give instructions to your pet guardian

When you make a will, you can include requests that describe the care you want for your pets. For example, you can request that your pet guardian take your dog to the vet twice a year, walk them daily, or only feed him organic food. These requests aren’t legally binding, so make sure you choose a pet guardian that you trust to follow them.

Set up a pet trust

A pet trust lets you leave money and instructions specifically for your pet’s care. You’ll likely want to speak with an estate planning attorney, who can help you create the documents you’ll need to do so.

When you set up a pet trust, you’ll name a trustee, likely your pet’s new guardian. They will also be given the legal authority to manage your trust after you pass. Based on this trust, they may also be able to take care of your pet if you fall ill and can no longer do so. The trustee you decide on is obligated to use the money you’ve left in the trust for your pet’s care, according to your instructions.

When deciding how much money to allocate to a pet trust, consider your pet’s life expectancy, their expenses, and their likelihood of developing health issues. Whatever you choose to allocate should be within the realm of possibility for what your pet might need for their care.

Add any new pets to your will

You should update your will every few years or after any big life events, like getting married or having a child. When you update your will, you should include your new pets and name any new pet guardians.

What happens to your pet when you die?

There are a few scenarios that could take place for your pet when you die:

  • If you have a will with pet care directives or a pet trust, your pet should go to the pet guardian you named.
  • If you have a will, but it doesn’t mention your pet, then your pet may go to your residuary beneficiary. This is the person you named to receive what’s left of your property after all your other beneficiaries are paid out.
  • If you don’t have a will at all when you die, then your property (pets included) is subject to your state’s laws. This means that a local court will appoint someone as the executor of your estate and that person will be responsible for deciding what happens to your pet. 

What if you don’t have someone to take your pets after you are gone? 

Talk to Frankie about options with Friends of Dogs, a nonprofit she is starting to help protect the pets she has met since starting Working for Wags & Dogs of Tucson. This nonprofit also works in the community to help educate people about proper pet care. For the past two years, Macy and Frankie, have also been visiting area middle schools to teach kids about pet caretaking. 

In addition to education, we are creating a place for all clients and friends to have reassurance that your pets will always have a place and people who will care for them. 

Our dogs are more than just pets!

They are our children and family. We know you hate the thought of your pet being lonely. The look on your pet’s face when you head out for work or on vacation can leave us feeling guilt-ridden. We get it!

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What our clients are saying.

  • I recommend 100% the service provided by Working For Wags. I found my 16-year-old cat well and relaxed when I returned from vacation. Frankie made it easy to arrange for someone responsible to attend to all his needs with lots of TLC. I received texts and pictures daily. I would hear back quickly if I had questions or needed to change some of the instructions already given. All my gratitude for their outstanding care.

    Anastasia Avatar Anastasia
    August 28, 2023
  • Angela did such an awesome job with our dogs! This was the first time we have left our dogs in a very long time due to 2 of the 3 being elderly and needing extra care. Angela was very attentive to their needs. We never had to worry about how they were doing because she would send updates via texts with pictures several times a day. Angela also brought up the mail and took care of garbage. I think the house was cleaner when we came home than when we left. I would not hesitate to have Angela back to watch out furry babies.

    Amy Rebmann Avatar Amy Rebmann
    February 19, 2023
  • Kristy knew that we were first time doggie parents to leave our babies. She made us feel so comfortable and able to enjoy our vacation.

    Susan Spalla Avatar Susan Spalla
    January 1, 1970
  • Communication was excellent from the initial contact, meet and greet, during the pet sitting, and after. Got updates throughout our vacation. My animals were well taken care of!

    Jennifer B Avatar Jennifer B
    June 14, 2023
  • We had a great first experience with Working for Wags! They came to our house to feed our two pups for several days while we were on vacation. Following their visits, they sent us updates by text and pictures by email, both which were greatly appreciated. They also helped us try to troubleshoot some odd behavior from our dogs, which turned out to be related to a smoke alarm that required battery replacement and was scaring the pups. Overall, we had a very positive experience and will definitely use Working for Wags again when we are out of town. :-)

    Erica Chard Avatar Erica Chard
    December 22, 2022
  • Nice range of services and all 3 staff I’ve worked with were great. My dog had a great time with them.

    Scott Kristie Avatar Scott Kristie
    November 1, 2022
  • I'd give them 10 stars if I could! The sitters are wonderful!! They are true animal lovers, and I trust them fully. One of my dogs has epilepsy, so finding sitters comfortable with the risk of a seizure can be tough. But, they came fully prepared and knowledgeable about what to do. If you love your dogs like I do, I highly recommend them!! 🐕💙

    K Bata Avatar K Bata
    June 21, 2023
  • Kristy was fantastic! My pets (dogs and cats) quickly warmed up to her and seemed to really feel comfortable with her (and the other sitter that visited too). I have one EXTRA nervous dog and I was shocked how quickly he warmed up to her. I got frequent updates about my pets and pictures even (which made me so happy and get to see how comfortable my pets were). It 100% put my mind as ease knowing my pets were in such good hands. Would definitely recommend.

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    November 20, 2022
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    February 13, 2023
  • We have used Working for Wags twice now, one for an overnight stay and this last time for a week long vacation. I am nervous leaving our pups; it helps a lot knowing they are in our home and not in a kennel. The communication was fabulous both times. I loved receiving pictures of our pups while we were away! Isabel was amazing! I have one pup who can be particular with people; she warmed right up to Isabel! We will definitely use Working for Wags in the future! Thank you for helping to make our vacation great!

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    March 23, 2023

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