FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
By April Rosenthal
According to Animal Control for Kansas City, MO, their procedure for animals in a house where the owner is ill or dead includes picking up the animals and taking them to Animal Control. They do allow family members to come and redeem the pets. But if no one comes forward, Animal Control will place the animals for adoption. If they are not adopted within 3-4 days, the animals are euthanized.
One of our responsibilities to our companion animals is to make sure this worst case scenario doesn’t happy by providing for their care if something happens to us through death or disability. There are several ways to do this.
First, we can set up a living trust through an attorney that will let our loved ones know what to do with our furry family members in the event we can no longer care for them. It is important, however, to make this type of arrangement well before they are needed and make certain you have discussed your plans with your chosen friend or family member beforehand lest they decline the responsibility when the time comes.
Okay, so what happens if there is no family or friend who will care for Spot and Kitty? Don’t despair, there are alternatives available. One of the alternatives available in this area is the Perpetual Pet Care Program available at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. This program will take care of all medical care and find the animals a new home after the College takes possession. They require $25,000 for small pets, $50,000 for large pets and $75,000 for pets with special needs. The College will accept trusts that include property, life insurance and bequests to cover the cost. This is an endowment program so whatever monies are left will go to improve veterinary education. Currently there are 45 animals from 13 different families enrolled in Perpetual Pet Care. The process to get into the program is, in itself an intensive one. The College needs to ensure the animals have socialized personalities in order to find new homes. They interview the family, meet the pets and talk to your veterinarian. This kind of homework enables the College to make the best possible match for your companion animal when the time comes. This program started at K-State in 1995 and has generated $3 million for the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Peggy, an employee at Kansas State University, and her husband have enrolled their six cats and two dogs in the program. They set up a living trust to ensure all the animals are cared for in the manner Peggy and her husband have directed as she was very concerned that her companions should be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. She talks lovingly about her animals. For example, there is 12 year old Blee, a retired racing Greyhound (Peggy even has a poster from his racing days). One of her cat’s, Buzz, and Lucy, a pointer mix have become best friends and even sleep together.
Peggy wears a bracelet that looks like a Med-Alert bracelet. Instead of giving medical information however, it gives contact information to ensure her dogs and cats are transferred into the program immediately in a medical emergency. She and her husband each carry cards in their wallets with the same contact information. She said, “The peace of mind this program gives us is worth the cost. Knowing they will be treated with dignity and respect is very important to us.”
For more information on this program, call (785) 532-4013.
Petguardian is another available program. This is a website that will set up a living trust that can be printed and given to an attorney or executor. The cost for this service is $500 (to set up a trust for two animals). Petguardian is an offshoot of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah. For more information on this program, you may go to either of the following websites: www.petguardian.com or www.bestfriends.org.
Animal sanctuaries are also an option. Animal Refuge Foundation (ARF) in Texas has a program where they will take a dog f or $5000 and care for it for the remainder of it’s life. ARF will build a 900 square foot run and provide an igloo, food, water and medical care. There are six employees who talk to and provide physical contact to the dogs every day. This sanctuary has been rescuing dogs for 14 years. Contact Martha Hovers at arfhouse@earthlink.net for more information.
Several local shelters are in the process of developing endowment programs that will take care of pets. Research your favorite organization and see if they can accommodate the needs of your pets. Perhaps with enough interest the programs might come to fruition sooner rather than later.
As I finished this article is was night and I found myself looking around my living room. Marianne the Pit Bull, is in “her” chair, snoring. Jack, the Shepherd is in the dining room also sound asleep. Carolina, the puppy, is in another chair with her legs straight up in the air. And Caleb, the Border Collie, is asleep on my bed. I am so grateful we have a roof over our heads, food, water and heat. I want my dogs to enjoy these blessings all their lives. Don’t you?
