Assumption is the mother of some very unhappy tails

With seven pets, I'm a fairly regular visitor to my vet clinic. In the normal run of things, everyone gets in at least once a year for their checkup ... and I"m old school enough that my 'kids' all get vaccinated. As anyone with pets knows, there are also all the unpredictable bits that can pop up at anytime. Its part and parcel of having pets and for most people its par for the course. Its as much a part of responsible pet ownership as good food, obedience training, socialization and of course living indoors with the other members of the 'pack". If one goes to the SPCANS home page, the Best Friends site and even the homeless pet site, there is no shortage of practical information about HOW to be a responsible pet owner.
But all the how to's overlook a couple of very important details. It isn't just the 'impulse pets' that wind up homeless. ( The need for humane education in the public school system is a separate rant for another day. As are the people who never read the 'how to pick an appropriate pet articles' or the 'what it actually costs to properly care for a pet" brochures)
People who consider themselves to be excellent caregivers often overlook one very important detail - nobody lives forever. Four years ago, I am sure that Clive's owner never dreamed that he would pass away before he was forty. Like so very many other pet owners, absolutely no provision had been made for this contingency. Happily for Clive, I was the 'girl who can't say no" at the time. (And no .... before the keyboards catch on fire I haven't lost my compassion. The homeless pet site was born of the understanding that I personally cannot adopt every pet in need. So rather than have the ctv newsvan in my dooryard some night while the spca hauls a hundred pets out of my house, the site is meant to promote pet adoption on a broader canvas. If I learned one thing during all my years in the military, it is that no man, or woman, is an island )
But I am wandering far afield here. Just this week, a great dog like Caesar was almost killed because that was the only plan his former owner could think of when he moved out of his own house. Although it is still perfectly legal to take a perfectly healthy adoptable pet in to be killed ( lets not sugar coat it ), that is an option that reeks of poor planning .
Pets do not bring our human hangups to the table and it is the height of misguided vanity to assume that because our pets have loved us that they would be incapable of bonding with a new caregiver.
So how DO we do the responsible thing and ensure that our pets futures are protected if the worst should happen?

• You can create a legal pet trust and specify the terms. While at one time, this wouldn't have stood up in court, these are becoming more common now. It involves some work now, and periodic updating over time. But it is a legal document that specifies who your caregiver, and the alternate, will be. It should specify the care expected and the sums that will be available for the caregiver. For your pets' protection, it is best to assign the balance of the trust to your favourite non profit animal rescue after the pet has gone over the bridge. Any meaningful document has to be discussed with and agreed upon, with the caregiver(s) of choice.
• You can specify anything in your will. It is possible to make the person you leave your home to responsible for your pets. Make sure that the executor of your will has crystal clear instructions about this.
• Most pets adopted from reputable rescues or breeders have a lifetime safety net ... which is in itself the best argument I can think of for NOT getting pets from the free sites and backyard breeders or the neighbour who was too stupid to spay the dog or cat. In all fairness, if you are depending on this as a plan b, you should discuss this with the rescue in advance. In addition, your will should include some material provision to assist with this.
• The BC SPCA offers another great choice - their Pet Survivor Care program. In a nutshell, participants are guaranteed that their pets will be fostered and rehomed. It is a legal agreement that requires a donation, but it does offer a lot of "peace of mind" bang for the buck.
• The Ottawa Humane society has a Pet Stewardship program that takes a slightly different tack. The contract for this involves a ten year, $25,000 insurance plan that makes the Ottawa Humane society the recipient. The funds from this are used to foster and/ or rehome the pet(s) in the event the pet owner is disabled or passes away. Of all of the choices out there, this is the one I really liked. (And wished it was available here) It really offers peace of mind without asking for $25,000 ( or higher ) donations as the BC SPCA does. IMHO it is more of an achievable objective for more pet owners, and it is the sincere hope of this middle aged granny that if the society continues on its wonderful 'new path' that this is something they will consider implementing province wide in the future.

No matter what road one goes down, one thing is painfully evident. There is more to being a responsible pet owner than living in the moment. There was an old saying when I was in the military that is still true. Assumption is the mother of all screw ups. We can't assume that our friends and family will step up to the plate if something happens to us. We can't assume that nothing will ever happen to us. Its our job to make some sort of provision, so that we are not leaving the ones we love so very much in the lurch. Otherwise, you CAN assume there could be some very Unhappy Tails.