As a pet owner, the thought of your pets no longer being with you is something you don’t like thinking about. After all, you’ve had them their entire lives. Now, imagine the roles are reversed. What if something happens to you first, and you can no longer care for your pet? It’s a daunting thought, but pet estate planning is designed to ensure your pet is well taken care of in the event of your passing or incapacitation. Who will care for your pet? Before discussing the legal and financial aspects of pet planning, the first step is to consider who will get physical custody of your pet. Like planning for children, you must be comfortable with the caregiver. Have they interacted with your pets before? How do they treat their pets? Family and friends will likely be your go-to, but never assume they will take on the responsibility of your pet. Whomever you’re considering, be sure to have an intentional conversation with them about your wishes. Determine the finances for the lifetime of your pet. How much is enough? First, do the math to figure out how much you spend caring for your pet now. Then, take that amount and project how long your pet is likely to live to determine a number. Also, consider reasonable compensation for the person caring for your pet. Life insurance and retirement plans are excellent financial sources for funding your pet’s lifetime care. Establish a pet trust and trustee. Unlike life insurance and retirement plans as funding sources, pet trusts legally shore up the financial obligations of caring for your pet. Ultimately, the money you leave the caretaker isn’t a lump sum they can spend anywhere; it provides accountability for how they spend it. Your caretaker can be the trustee, too, but it could create a conflict of interest. A professional trustee is probably best to ensure funds are distributed according to your wishes. Explore Funding Options and Pet Trusts Planning for the Unthinkable
Dusty Laufer has seen many sides of pet ownership, from running her own dog-grooming business for six years to working in a veterinary clinic for more than a decade. When she and her husband found the perfect house just a half-mile down the road from our Cedaredge location, she PROVIDING LOVING CARE FOR PETS BIG AND SMALL Meet Dusty Laufer
was pleased to find a job with us that was a good fit, too. Dusty started as a receptionist last month, checking patients in and out, helping fill prescriptions, and answering the phone. She sees our pet parents in many circumstances, from joy over a newly adopted puppy to sadness at having to euthanize an aged pet. “I just love helping the people and the animals,” she says. “It can be hectic, but you just keep going until you get it all done.”
Dusty knows all about getting it all done. To start her dog grooming clinic, she went to school and learned grooming techniques for dozens of breeds. Among her most memorable clients was a Great Pyrenees. Known for their weather- resistant double coats, males of this breed tip the scales at 100 pounds plus, and this guy hadn’t been cleaned up for a while. “It took us hours to get him bathed and brushed out,” Dusty says. Her favorite story is about accidentally setting off a fire alarm while grooming a Welsh Corgi. “His coat was so bad, we were in a small enclosed space, and his hair was flying all over the place!” Life with her own pets these days is much quieter. She and her husband adopted a heeler mix named Lexington, or Lexi, as a puppy, from a shelter in Texas. “She is a hoot. She talks to us, and you swear she understands what we’re saying,” Dusty says. They also have owned a 22-year-old cockatiel since he was a fledgling. Asked what she is looking forward to most about her new job, Dusty says learning more about our clients and their pets. “Getting to know them is the fun part.”
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