Shelter hosts St. Charles seminar on including your pets when estate planning

Nine out of 10 pet owners say they consider their pet a member of the family. Providing them with care is a lifelong commitment. As responsible pet owners it is difficult to ask ourselves: “Who will provide for my beloved companion if something unexpected were to happen to me?”

The good news is that there are several choices available when setting up your individual or family estate plan. Pet trusts and guardianship programs are just some of the options to consider. Selecting the option that best serves you carries certain benefits while honoring your commitment to your pet.

Simply naming your pets in your will may not ensure that they receive the quality of care you wish to provide. With more dogs and cats living in the U.S. each year, there is a growing trend toward including pet care as part of personal estate planning.

According to attorney Michael Fitzgerald, the popularity of pet trusts has been increasing each year.

A pet trust provides that a certain amount of funds be put aside for your pet while outlining specific guidelines for its care. Under Illinois law, pet trusts are enforceable so you can rest assured that your beloved companions will be cared for after you are gone or when you no longer can care for them.

Many questions will be asked when the pet trust is drafted. Some details you will provide include information identifying your pet, the standard of living you would like given to your pet and what to do with the final disposition of remains. You will also specify trustees, caregivers and instructions on distributing the remaining trust assets once your pet passes.

Perhaps you cannot find a caregiver for your companion animal. Under this circumstance, a pet guardianship program may be appropriate.

Your estate plan would be drafted with information specifying disbursement of an estate gift to an animal shelter in return for the temporary care of your dog or cat while attempts are made to find a loving and forever home.

Many animal shelters offer this program and Anderson Animal Shelter is just one of them. Anderson Animal Shelter’s Pet Guardianship Program provides a system that will give your pet a loving, warm and safe, new home.

While considering your estate plan, there are also several ways to provide a legacy of love for animals through charitable planned giving. A gift of your assets can be made to a nonprofit animal shelter while you are alive or after you pass. This type of giving arrangement not only benefits the donor and supports the mission of the shelter you choose; it benefits the many homeless animals in your community awaiting a new home.

It’s important to ensure the lifelong care of your pet or those pets that are in need of homes in your community. By making formal arrangements through estate planning, you can give comfort to the companion animals in your family or those in need of shelter or care.

There are a number of books and websites to explore which may help you further understand the options and details of setting up a pet trust. To help you get started, Anderson Animal Shelter along with the Law Offices of Fitzgerald & Perry will be hosting a free Estate Planning Seminar on Wednesdays, Oct. 3 and 24.

Jack Graff, executive director at Anderson Animal Shelter, says, “There are times where an individual will bring in a pet due to the loss of a loved one.

Unfortunately, in a number of those cases, the person surrendering the animal cannot care for it and has no background or detailed information on the pet. By offering seminars to the public, we hope to educate individuals and families on the importance of considering companion animals in estate planning.”

Call (847) 697-2880, ext. 25 for more information on the seminar including the registration form; advance registration is required.

Anderson Animal Shelter collaborates with public and private organizations and individuals to shelter, care for and promote the adoption of stray and unwanted companion animals. They advocate for the compassionate and humane treatment of these animals through direct care, humane education and community outreach programs.

For information, call (847) 697-2880 or visit andersonanimalshelter.org.