Pets are clinically proven to help reduce stress, to help make you healthier, and to help you live longer. As people increasingly recognize all of the benefits that having an animal companion can provide to them, the role that pets play in our lives has become stronger. Pets are rightly treated as members of the family, beloved and deserving of care.
The responsibility you have to your pet and your desire to provide for the animal that has enriched your life does not end, and should not end, if you become incapacitated or if you pass away. You want to ensure that you are providing for the care of your animal even if something happens to you. There are a variety of different ways you can make a plan for your animals to protect their future, but you need to ensure you get the right legal advice to do so.
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Kulas & Crawford can provide comprehensive assistance with pet planning in Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach Florida. To learn more about what is involved in pet planning and to get personalized legal advice, contact us today. Our legal team can also provide you with some key information you may be interested in, including answers to questions like:
- Why should I create a pet plan?
- What should be included in my pet plan?
- How can a Port St. Lucie, FL pet planning lawyer help me?
Why Should I Create a Pet Plan?
It is imperative you create a pet plan to ensure your animal is not forgotten if you become incapacitated or if you pass away. Too many pets end up in shelters or homeless because their owners have passed away and because no one in the family was certain of what should be done with the animal. When you create a pet plan in advance, you can talk with your friends and family members to determine who will assume guardianship of your companion animals if something happens to you. You can then make appropriate provisions, including naming someone in your will to take over the care of the animal.
What Should Be Included in a Pet Plan?
What you include in your pet plan is entirely up to you, depending upon how much you want to do in order to make sure that your pet is provided for if something happens to you. The most basic of pet plans involves talking with a friend or family member, finding out if they are willing to take the pet, and then including details about transferring ownership of the pet to the new guardian. However, this type of plan is often not comprehensive enough for pet owners who want to ensure their animal is not just in a home, but also is cared for in a specific way.
If you wish to make sure that your pet’s costs will be covered – including for any necessary medical care the animal will need – you may want to make financial provisions for the care of the animal. Of course, you cannot leave money directly to a dog, cat, or other animal to manage the funds. You can, however, create a trust and name a trustee who will manage the money on behalf of your animal companion. Taking this step allows you to make sure that money you leave for the care of your pet is actually used for its desired purpose.
Caring for a pet can be costly, especially if you want to ensure your animal has the very best care. With a comprehensive pet plan, you can leave behind the money necessary to provide the best life for your pet. You can even include provisions in your trust specifying that some of the money should be used to provide treats or experiences that you would have offered to the animal if you had been able to provide the care yourself.
How can a Port St. Lucie, Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Help with a Pet Plan?
Kulas & Crawford helps clients in Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, FL, and surrounding areas who have pets and who want to make sure that those pets are always cared for. We understand that your animal has brought joy to your life and that you want to ensure your animal is never left helpless or alone because something happens to you. We will work with you to create a comprehensive plan so you can have the peace of mind of knowing your animal companion will be cared for always. Give us a call at 772-398-0720 or contact us online to find out more about the assistance that we can offer.
