Worries about the Queen’s beloved corgis got us thinking…
It’s possible that you’ve made a will that offers directions for what should happen to your home or your jewelry once you pass away. But have you accounted for what will happen to your furry friends?
In many households pets are seen as members of the family, and considering how much Americans spend on them (a whopping $99 billion in 2020), it’s clear that their wellbeing is seriously important to the humans who love them. The recent conversation around the passing of Queen Elizabeth II introduced a key question about planning for pets’ futures, thanks to the world’s concern about what would happen to her adorable corgis.
In that case, her dogs will be well cared for: They’re off to live with the Queen’s son Prince Andrew, and her grandson Prince William told an inquiring woman during the Queen’s services that he’d had a visit with the pups recently. (“I saw them the other day, that got me quite sad,” William was heard saying. “They’ll be looked after very well. Spoiled rotten, I’m sure.”) But what about the animals who don’t have the infrastructure of an entire monarchy to look after them?
It’s unfortunately all too common for people to forget to factor their pets into their end-of-life plans — and even if they do, those plans can often fall apart. Zoie Kujawa, an Oregon-based death doula who makes a living by helping clients prepare to die, told us she saw this firsthand with her last dog, whose previous owner had died, sending the animal to the home of a family member. That didn’t work out, and in a matter of days, the dog was up for adoption by a stranger.
“I think about how this dog that I had, who was such a sweetheart, lived with his person for his whole life, and then the person’s family took him in. But something happened and they couldn’t take care of him anymore,” Kujawa says. “And I wonder, what would his person have felt about that? Did she have a backup plan? Did she have any kind of feeling that it wouldn’t have worked out with these other people?”
To avoid something like that happening to your tiny companion, we looked into how to ensure for their safety and care.
Can you leave money to your pet?
This is dicey, but it’s certainly been done — and generated plenty of headlines when it happens.
For example, when acclaimed fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld died in 2019, it was estimated that he left behind somewhere between $195 million and $300 million, at least some of which he specifically allocated to his cat, a Birman named Choupette who at one time also had an active Instagram account of her own.
But even with an inheritance like that, Choupette has competition. Vanity Fair reported in 2015 that the world’s richest pet was a German shepherd named Gunther IV, who had inherited assets worth $370 million, passed down through canine generations after the German countess Carlotta Liebenstein left her fortune to her dog (the original Gunther) when she died in 1991.
You’ll notice something these posh pets have in common: They’re foreigners. In the United States, pets are considered property, just like a home or automobile might be, and you can’t legally leave one type of property to another type. But there is a workaround that still allows you to make arrangements for your four-legged sidekicks…
How can you legally arrange for pet care after you’ve died?
One option is to explain your wishes in your will. In that case, you’d leave your pet to a specific person who would act as their caretaker after you’re gone. You can also allocate a certain amount of money to pass on to that person to cover the cost of food, supplies, and whatever luxuries your beloved animal might need.
But there is a downside: Once this person has inherited your pet and your cash, they’re not necessarily bound to follow your wishes. While you can stipulate who receives these assets, they’re free to do whatever they choose with them when you’re gone, which could mean spending the money on other things, or even giving the pet away.
A more airtight approach is to create what’s called a pet trust. That’s a legal agreement which reserves money specifically for the care of your pet, and those funds are managed by someone who’s required to spend them per your specifications. The grantor (the person leaving money behind) chooses a caregiver who’ll be responsible for the pet, along with a separate person to be the trustee, or the one who will manage the money. That way, the trustee has the latitude to appoint a new caregiver if the first one becomes unable to carry out their duties.
But as the experts at Money point out, creating a trust isn’t cheap. Depending on your specific circumstances and place of residence, the process of setting it all up could cost thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees, and a trustee is also entitled to compensation for their work. On top of that, you’ll also want to consider what happens if there’s still money leftover when your pet follows you to the great beyond.
But a trust does allow you to make specific choices about how your animal will be cared for, including leaving behind instructions like which veterinarian should treat them, and in which circumstances you’d want them to be euthanized. You can find more tips and sample language right here.
Is there a safe place to leave your pet after you’re gone?
If you don’t have a friend or family member who can commit to caring for your animal following your death, you might need to get creative about how to ensure they don’t end up in unsafe circumstances — but it is possible.
One option is Pet Peace of Mind, a national program dedicated to help seriously ill patients maintain a relationship with their pets even as they endure the difficult reality of end-of-life care. Part of that includes finding the animal a loving new home when the time comes, using a network of local volunteers who can assist with placement.
You may also have some luck sourcing local groups near where you live. For example, the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center at Texas A&M University provides for the emotional, physical, and medical wellbeing of companion animals for their remaining lifetime after owners can no longer care for them. Enrollment costs $1,000 per small animal and $2,000 per large animal, so it may not work for everyone, but we know plenty of pet owners who’d be willing to pay it for that peace of mind.
Another local solution is Hopalong and Second Chance Animal Rescue, which is based in Oakland, California. They’ve got a Pet Survivor Program that takes action when an owner passes away to rehome their pet and insure they won’t end up in a shelter. The plan does come with some specific requirements, so like with any of these programs, you’ll want to ask lots of of questions about your particular circumstances.
Whichever option you choose, it’s most important to make a plan that’s carefully considered. That way you’ll be assured that the furry loved one who’s given you so much will be cared for after you’re gone — which is exactly what they deserve.
