Pet Caregiver GuideA pet caregiver guide sounds like another good tool to keep with your estate planning documents. While my time is focused on your legal documents, there can be many other “non-legal” items that are good complements to your estate plan. A few years ago, I worked with my friend Tony to create a checklist of important information to keep with your estate plan. In this case, I got an email this week from our local pet store, Chuck & Don’s. I don’t want to steal their thunder, so here’s how they described it:

Life comes at you quickly. A job transfer. Last minute vacation. Sometimes an unforeseen sickness that sidelines you for an extended period. The best time to make a plan for who takes care of your pet (and how) is right now.

We created a “Things My Human Knows” manual that can be customized for every detail of who, how and what to do for your pet in your absence. You can fill it out online and download your manual to share with others.

You’ll find other tips like how to build an emergency kit, stock-up essentials, and where to get pet finder stickers for emergency personnel here.

Non-Legal Documents in Your Estate Plan

When I prepare estate plans (wills, trusts, healthcare directives) for clients, we try to discuss the various non-legal pieces of their plan. Do they have a plan for digital assets? What will happen to their social media accounts? Who should be contacted in the event they are sick? The pet caregiver guide from Chuck & Don’s is another good example of other things you should consider. With all the planning I’ve done over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever come across such a good guide for pet owners.

It’s always good to support local businesses. This pet caregiver guide is a good example of the important role small businesses can play in unexpected ways!

You May Also Like

Next Steps

If you are interested in a pet trust and don’t have a will yet, or if you have one and would like to add a pet trust to your existing one, call my office to set up a Legal Strategy Session and we can review the best options for you – (877) AMAYERS. And if you’ve got pets and haven’t filled out the pet caregiver guide yet, hop on over to Chuck & Don’s and get yours today!

Andrew Ayers
Connect with me
I work with business and estate planning clients to craft legal solutions to protect their legacies.