How to assure your Pets have a Home if you Die First
(and much more)

Once upon at time there was woman named Maria. Now Maria lived in Italy, and was a very wealthy person, so wealthy in fact that she would never be able to spend all of her money in her lifetime.  As she grew older and feeble, Maria made a very sobering determination what she might die and outlive her beloved cat who was named Tammoso.  She, after all, was 94 years old, and the cat was a mear 4 years of age. Tammaso was not a fancy cat, was not a special breed, and was  not outstanding in any way… a fairly normal black cat. In fact, Tammoso had been a stray cat, roaming the streets of Rome, before he wandered in to the life of a King in his new home with his human mom. Maria loved and cared for Tammoso, in fact she loved him with all her heart, and considered him family. In her eyes he was the perfect son and a welcomed companion.

Being a forward thinking woman, Maria decided that she could not leave Tommoso’s future to fate and chance, so she started out on a quest to assure he would never want for anything and be cared for until his passing. To assure this could be accomplished, Maria called for her trusted lawyer. “I want Tommoso to inherit everything I have. He should be the beneficiary of all my money, property, and all else I have” Maria sternly told the barrister. “Well” replied her lawyer, “sadly, Italian law is written as so no animal can directly inherit anything.”

Maria was devastated by the news and grief stricken thinking about what would happen to her very special kitty when her life was over. After studying the Italian regulations and laws surrounding pets and wills, the lawyer discovered that Maria could bequeath everything to a beneficiary, including Tommoso, and then give specific instructions on use of the money for the care of Tommoso.

Maria was alone, except for Tommoso, only having a nurse that cared for her. The nurse, named Stefania, had also become a very special part of Maria’s life and not only took care of the old woman, but treated her very kindly. Stefania had no idea Maria was wealthy, at least not THAT wealthy, but felt a need to treat the woman with special care and affection. After a short consideration, Maria felt she knew the nurse well enough to trust her with the single most important thing in her life, Tommoso.

As her health began to fade in 2009, Maria instructed her lawyer to draw up a will naming Stefania the sole beneficiary to everything she had, including money/property/bonds/stocks/and most importantly Tommoso. Upon her passing in 2011, Maria’s entire estate was willed to Stefania, and also named her as the cats trustee and gave very detailed instructions of how the cat was to be cared for.

Amazingly, Stefania had no idea that Maria had named her as sole inheritor of everything she owned, plus the cat, and was shocked to find out just how much money the old woman actually had. When the lawyer read the will, Stefania was given the total value of the inheritance, which totaled over 13 million dollars in total.  Needless to say, the nurse was more than willing to move into the house and care for the much loved Tommoso.  There would be no challenge to Maria’s will, no jealous and scheming claims of impropriety or that the old woman was out of her mind. For, you see, Maria was a widow and had no children. Her husband had been a very successful builder and amassed the huge fortune before his death. Stefania followed Maria’s wishes to the very letter, assuring the cat had loving and stable home, plus all the hugs and snuggles a former stray cat from the streets could ever want.  And they lived happily ever after… THE END!

Or is it? For, indeed, this is NOT a fairy tale and not a made up story. This is a very true tale, and not the only one of its kind. In fact, the 13 million dollars made him just the 3rd riches pet every to live.

A chimp named Kalu had an owner who left him a cool 80 million in money and assets. But wait, there’s more… Gunther IV did slightly better than the other “dogs in his family and was bequeathed a massive 372 million from his German Shepherd daddy, “Gunther III”.  Now that Gunther (III) didn’t earn his money from oil or the sweat of his own black nose… Gunther the III received all his money when his German Countess owner died and made him the family heir.

We’d love to say that is the nuttiest story out there… but you can read about other cats that have inherited mass amounts of money (some even more than Tomasso’s record wealth in 2011) at this link from “The Pet Zealot”.

Not to be outdone, Dog Time penned this neat post that details 10 Dogs that inherited a bunch, and we’re not talking bones! 10 Lucky Dogs Who Inherited Big Fortunes – DogTime

You may be asking yourself “why is this important to me?” After all, chances are slim you are a multi-millionaire with a desire to leave everything you have to a pet (and if you are, you ROCK!). The real deal is that, regardless of your age or health, you need to have a plan of who receives the honor to care for your pets if something tragic should happen to you. It’s a great idea, have a plan and inform everyone of their parts in your pets life, should you suddenly not be there any longer.

This may seem silly to you, but consider that there are numerous people that would love to inherit the responsibility of your fur kids. However, there might be a lot of people who wouldn’t want that burden or extra cost in their lives… regardless of how they love your furry ones. Pet ownership is a huge deal, a lot of time and planning. There are allergies, careers, family obligations, and the persons personal dreams and desires, to consider before you name them as “the foster parents” for your beloved animals.

How do I Set Up a Trustee for my Pets?

It’s awesome that you’re interested enough to keep reading.  As you might have gathered or considered, how pets are recognized and rules surrounding the length of how you can “will” things to them varies from state to state, country to country.

A few rules are more “universal” in nature and found to be the same in most states.

  • Pets are considered “personal property” and thus cannot be the direct beneficiary or “owner” of any assets, including property or money

  • You certainly CAN make a plan and name a person(s) in your will that you want to care for your pets after you’ve passed

  • A will MIGHT not be the best place to place that kind of information. Legal experts suggest you use an Estate Planning Tool, since the animal is considered property. This tool allows you more freedom and leverage to give exacting instructions and assure the receiver of the pet has complete knowledge of your wishes and desires concerning your fur kids.

  • As Maria did, you may want to set up a “trust” for the animal. This offers you more protection than the will and LEGALLY requires your names caregiver(s) or trustee(s) to follow your exact wishes for your pets.

  • Be sure your understand the limitations and fine print requirements for both wills and trusts.

So you don’t want to pay lawyer, we FULLY UNDERSTAND. Online companies like “doyourownwill.com”, “onlinewillmakers.com” or other similar online entities can provide legal templates that you simply fill out, print, and sign. Of course, there are fees for these services, but much less than engaging a lawyer.

Just make sure your instructions, whatever form or route you choose to use, include the following information…

  • Funds designated from your estate to care for the Pet, if any.

  • Line of succession in case the primary caregiver you name should pass away, or become unable to care for your fur kids. You might even go as far as to name a rescue or shelter that you designate as the final hand off, should all family and friends abandon you wishes.

  • Think about that “Pet Trust” because it allows you to give more detailed instructions that the named caretaker/trustee is bound to follow. It can also name fund, property, or other key important items… right down to brands of food, walking schedules and other weird details you think are key for the proper upbringing of your fur kids.

What if I Don’t Want to Be that Legal About it?

Sure, that’s valid… not everyone is in a financial situation, or has the mindset, to want to go the full “Will and Testament” route for pets. However, some planning is better than nothing at all. Consider the following guidelines and suggestions to draw that dotted line of passage for your pets…

  • Choose a list of caregivers and formalize it. Talk to those folks, assure they are onboard and have the mental, emotional, and financial means to follow your wishes. Make sure they WANT TO DO IT and aren’t just agreeing to make the subject go away. Write this down in great detail, then email to everyone involved and get a response back from them to confirm receipt. Also, mail yourself a sealed and signed copy of the plan in the mail. DO NOT OPEN IT, but put it with your documents and mark the envelope with some title that will assure it’s opened. This proves YOU sent it give a date, and has your signature
  • Make sure the people you’re going to trust most understand feeding needs, medications, vets name and number, health issues, and all the favorites that the animal has. If they don’t know, they can’t act on your wishes
  • List these folks as “emergency caretakers” at your veterinarians. This will allow the people you choose to continue using your current veterinary team, and give the caregivers full access to records and medical history of the animals

At a minimum, taking these steps will show your intent and give a full list of your wishes and expectations for your beloved fur kiddies after your death. Choose people you can trust, ones that have the same ability to love and care for your babies as you would.

The Biggest Thing is DON’T DO NOTHING

You owe your pets more than to leave it to a family fight, or to be routed to someone that really doesn’t want them, or even worse… have them end up at a shelter or rescue because you didn’t plan ahead. Even if its’ nothing more than a stern and detailed conversation and a quick follow up email to confirm… you’ve set a course in motion. Remember, pets are PROPERTY, and if you think people wouldn’t fight over them, use them as leverage for other parts of your estate, or other nefarious uses of the animals… well, we’d hate for you to be wrong. Take some minor steps to assure a clean and documented hand off in case the unthinkable would happen.

And while we are at it… make sure you carry some card, or piece of paper, in your purse or wallet that simply says “Pets at Home, please assure they are checked on and cared for”. Should you be in a hospital unexpectedly, or should you die alone and away from home, this simple notification to police or stranger or family members could make sure your best friends aren’t alone, uncaredfor, and unfed for days before someone stumbles across them. In addition, speak to a trusted neighbor or friend and let them know that if they don’t hear from you or see you in “XX” amount of days, check on your pets. Its the least you can do to assure the animals aren’t alone and hungry.

Lastly, remember that this blog started with a cat inheriting 13 MILLION dollars worth of money, property, and other items. You may not have that kind of fortune to leave your pets… you may have a wife and kids that will instantly adopt the duties you cherished to do for your pets… you may think that you’ll outlive your pets and have to take care of their final wishes for you… but the reality is that life is fleeting and stuff happens to people (good and bad). We would caution you to make plans, even if the plans are never needed, because the alternative for those left behind… fur and flesh… is much harder if they don’t have a clear cut idea of your wishes. So you don’t have 13 Million… but the love you gave is worth more than all the money in the world to your pets. Be sure you give them a life after your death… one that you would want them to live with our without you.

That’s this weeks Dog Blog. We hope we opened some eyes, and some minds, with this topic. If you liked this blog, consider checking out our library of Dog Blogs that cover a range of health, entertainment, and miscellaneous pet topics. We’re sure you’ll find some reading you’ll enjoy. You’ll find our stuff at www.freddiesplaceanimalhospital.com/freddiesez.

We’ll be back next week with another edition of mind bending, attention getting, plain old Freddie Fun.  Until then, remember Spring is in full bloom. Take time to go on long walks with your favorite fur kid, stop and smell the flowers like its the last time you’ll see them, enjoy your time together, see the world through their eyes… and above all, keep your world Pet Friendly, #FreddieSez