The Hirschfeld Pet Trust For Your Animal Companion
I love Soupbone, a mutt I rescued. After adopting him, I vowed that he would never again be abandoned in a pound. That’s why I created a Pet Trust, naming a caretaker for him – just in case I’m not always there.
The Reality of Pets Who Lose Their Owners:
When both parents are unable (or unavailable) to care for a child, the court may send the child to a temporary foster home, until the court has confidence that a family member of friend is not going to abuse the child. In the case of your pet, if a friend or family member does not come forward to take the animal in, there is no court and no temporary foster care. There are only shelters, and due to limited space and funding, there is no guarantee that your animal will get into the no-kill shelters – which only leaves the “other” kind of shelters. But you can secure your animal’s fate now.
Suggestions for Pet Trusts:
You can establish and fund a Pet Trust with a life insurance policy, and ask a family, friend, or sanctuary to care for your animal companion in the instance that you are unable to care for your pet. Or you can designate a shelter or charitable organization to care for your animal companion for the rest of his or her life.
While many “pet parents” allow their pets to sleep in the bed with them, carry pictures of their pets, and even take time off of work to be with a sick pet, many of us do not consider what would happen if we were no longer able to care for them. I know that once I immortalized my friends in my Pet Trust and asked them if they would accept the responsibility of being named as guardian to my dog, they then became much more committed to Soupbone. And I know that Soupbone will always be in good hands.
