Serene Karplus, Nederland.  We love our pets.  For some of us, they are our most reliable companion and best listener. We share deep bonds with our furry or feathered friends and they are totally dependent on us for their survival.  Those who have had to say good-bye to a pet know how hard this can be, but what if something happens to us? What if we become ill or incapacitated or predecease our pets?

As responsible pet owners we need to plan ahead. Our pets suffer (or worse) if we have not made arrangements and back-up plans for their care if we can’t come home to them. If an accident or sudden illness surprises us, we may not be able to communicate with a friend or neighbor. The following tips are provided by The Humane Society of the United States.

1)  Find at least two responsible friends or relatives who agree to serve as temporary emergency caregivers. Provide them with the keys to your home, feeding and care instructions, contact information for your veterinarian, and information about the permanent care provisions you have made for your pet.

2) Make sure your neighbors, friends, and relatives know how many pets you have and the names and contact numbers of the individuals who have agreed to serve as emergency caregivers. Emergency caregivers should also know how to contact each other.

3) Carry a wallet alert card that lists the names and phone numbers of your emergency pet caregivers.

4) Post removable “in case of emergency” notices on your doors or windows specifying how many and what types of pets you have. These notices will alert emergency-response personnel during a fire or other home emergency. Don’t use stickers; hard to remove stickers are often left behind by former residents, so firefighters may assume that the sticker is outdated or may risk their lives trying to find a pet who is no longer in the house.

5) Affix to the inside of your front and back doors a removable notice listing emergency contact names and phone numbers.

To ensure long-term care of your pet should you be seriously ill for an extended period or if you were to pass on, please do not depend on someone who verbally agreed in the past that they would take on your pet if needed; their circumstances or feelings may have changed. Make formal, legal written arrangements and meet with an attorney to draw up a special will, trust, or other document to provide for the care and ownership of your pet, as well as the money necessary to continue to care for them if you have the means to do so.

Choosing a permanent caregiver can be tricky. Do you want all your pets to go to one person’s care, or would it be best to have different homes for each? If the pets have bonded, try to keep them together; their loss of you may be all they can manage, without losing their other best friends too. Be sure you really trust the person who will take over the care, as they will have full discretion, including veterinary treatment and euthanasia.

Even after creating a legal agreement, it is wise to stay in contact regularly with the prospective caregivers. They could face changes that alter their ability to provide the care your pet will require. An alternative is to empower the executor to find a new private home for the pet to avoid an institutionalized setting. You will need to provide funds (for food, care, transport, etc.) for the pet, some decision-making authority and funding for the executor to handle it all, and specific instructions (clear, but not unrealistic) for the pet’s care while it may be in a temporary home and to pay for time to search for other alternatives.

Taking care of these possible needs now, at any age, can offer better peace of mind when the unexpected happens.

[The above text is not intended as legal advice and is not a substitute for consulting a local legal adviser who is familiar with state laws, with you, and with your pet.]

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Everyone is invited to luncheons every Monday and Wednesday at Noon, breakfast on second Saturdays, and dinners on fourth Fridays at the Nederland Community Center. Please call two days ahead for lunch reservations and a week ahead for dinner to 303-258-0799. (Missed the deadline? Call anyway.)