Providing For Pets In Tampa Estate Planning

Pets are often considered beloved family members. While you may have made provisions to provide for your pet’s health and passing, are they protected in the event anything happens to you? Our Tampa estate planning attorney explains how including pets in your will and other estate planning documents helps to ensure they continue to be provided for, both now and in the future.

Including Pets In Tampa Estate Planning

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that over half of all older adults have pets. In addition to providing a source of companionship and protection, having a pet can have positive impacts on your physical and mental health. It reduces stress, causes you to be more active, and helps to prevent depression due to loneliness.

However, it is important to be aware of how vulnerable your pet is and what might happen to them if anything happened to you. When creating an estate plan in Tampa, it is important to include provisions for pets. Estate planning documents that can help to ensure they continue to be provided for include:

• A will: Clarify your wishes regarding pets in your will, detailing who should provide for them.
• A trust: Having a trust allows you to set aside funds specifically for your pet’s care.
• Temporary care agreements: This protects your pet if you are sick, injured, or otherwise incapacitated and unable to provide for them yourself.
• Microchipping and identification tags: This ensures they are returned to you and not abandoned in a shelter if they get lost or otherwise separated from caregivers.

Tips For Providing For Pets In Your Tampa Estate Plan

It is devastating to think that your beloved best friend could end up abandoned in a shelter if anything happened to you. Unfortunately, this is an all too common scenario. To prevent it from happening, include your pets as part of your estate plan in Tampa. The Humane Society offers these tips when creating the above documents:

• Select at least two people who might be able to provide for your pet in the event of your passing or in other unexpected situations;
• Make sure they agree to be your pet’s caregivers and understand all that is required;
• Make a list of any behavioral or medical issues your pet may have, and include contact numbers for veterinarians, groomers, and boarding;
• Keep a file containing vaccination dates and other pertinent information, and include the location in your will and other estate planning documents;
• Inform close friends and neighbors of how many pets you have and your plans for them in case of an emergency.

Discuss Your Options With Our Tampa Estate Planning Attorney

Estate planning protects you and those you love. At Strategic Counsel Law Group, L.C., we can help you put the appropriate documents in place to ensure beloved pets are provided for properly. To discuss your options, give us a call or contact our Tampa estate planning attorney online and request a consultation today.

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8062698/#:~:text=Recent%20estimates%20show%20that%20the,70%20and%20older%20(3).

legacy.humanesociety.org/documents/h/humane-society-of-the-united-states/pets_in_wills_factsheet.pdf