Estate Planning is Kansas City Estate Planning Attorneys the process of determining who obtains your...

1. Does Your Pet Have an Estate Plan?
Estate Planning is Kansas City Estate Planning Attorneys the process of determining who obtains
your properties, when they get those properties, and also that deals with you when you are aged.
Plus, your estate plan determines who could take treatment of your children.
The basic foundation of any type of estate plan is a Last Will and Testament. This
https://www.wellsfargoadvisors.com/financial-services/estate-planning.htm paper is recognized
everywhere as a file that is prepared by an attorney and also executed by 2 or even more witnesses
and after that notarized.
Some individuals use a Revocable Living Trust rather than a Last Will and Testament. The Living
Trust can do all of the very same things as a Will, but it does not need to go with the probate process
to be reliable. In addition, a Living Trust is lots of times used for tax planning and also philanthropic
planning.
Our pets are often as much a beloved part of the family as are our children, yet they are all too often
the forgotten loved ones when it comes to estate planning. With our nation's senior population
expected to double from 2012 to 2050, that means hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of pets are
at risk.
Should we, or our loved one, need to be moved into a care facility, or worse, pass on, there should be
a plan in place that has the pet's and owner's best interests in mind. In an owner's' sudden absence,
animals can show signs of anxiety that may be mistaken for aggression, sadly resulting in being sent
to an animal shelter or worse, put down. This would likely be devastating to the senior and not what
they would want for their beloved pet.
Although you can't replace the senior's own voice, touch, how he/she plays with the pet, or just how
he or she spends time walking the dog. The best that can be done is to have all of the alternatives
well established in case the pet must be separated from its trusted friend.
A pet estate plan should include the following:
1. The Pet's medications and health history must be clearly articulated.
Like humans, pets often take medications. Is there a medication list? Dosages identified? Times of
administering the medications listed? Veterinarian identified? Emergency hospital identified? If the
senior is incapacitated, these items cannot be communicated.
2. Alternative living locations must be identified.
If the senior needs to go to the hospital for a short stay, where will the pet live on a temporary
basis? Is there a boarding home that has already been selected? Is there a friend or relative to be
the caretaker for the pet until the senior returns?

2. If there is a catastrophic event with the senior, where
he or she passes away or must move to a facility where
pets are not allowed, where will the pet reside on a
permanent basis? Has the pet been previously
introduced to this person? Has the person consented in
advance? Are there funds to support the pet identified
in the senior's estate plan? If the worst happens, is
there a "no-kill" shelter identified that will take the pet?
3. Pet's attributes must be identified.
Tragically there are many animals that are needlessly
killed or destroyed by others due to the pet not being
understood. Dogs in particular can be possessive and
territorial. They sense stress and tragedy and react as
you would expect. Understanding the characteristics is
important to protect the animal from needless harm
since they cannot communicate on their own. Their
character must be articulated and should include aggressive tendencies, if any, their territorial
nature, their habits, bowel habits, whether they are crate-trained, and other characteristics that may
affect how the pet is treated by third parties under stressful conditions.
4. Pet records must be identified and accessible.
There is no "Pet-Veterinarian Privilege" but if the location of records and contact information is not
available, then caring for the pet can be more difficult. Has the pet been inoculated? Are they
current? Where are the records located? It is not uncommon for a pet to have had more than one
Vet over its lifetime. The records may be scattered among several Veterinarian offices. Where are
the records location? Is there a chip implant? What is the company name, code and password to
communicate with the chip company?
5. The pet's diet and other food must be clearly. Estate planning is regarding peace of mind. The
procedure itself is vital as well as could assist you develop a great, strong working plan that will look
after you, your kids, and also your properties in case of your death or special needs.identified.
What is the regular food, feeding times, amounts? Many pets have digestion issues if food is
changed which can be very messy. Are allergies identified?
6. Pet provisions must be drafted into the senior's estate plan in case of death.
The people that will take the pet must be identified in the estate plan. Funding for the ongoing care
needs to be clearly articulated.
After watching thousands of families struggle through the eldercare process, I wrote a book and
accompanying guide, including a chapter just on pets, that takes out all the guesswork for families
starting their eldercare journey by packing all the necessary information into one place. Whether
you go it alone or use an estate-planning attorney, I can't emphasize enough the importance of
planning ahead.

3. About the Author
Stuart Furman, Esq., is an elder law attorney of 34 years. He is President of the Southern California
Legal Center, Inc. and author of The ElderCare Ready Book (2015) and The ElderCare Ready Pack
(2015). For further information, please visit www.eldercareready.com.
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