Wednesday, November 28, 2012

My Way of Thinking: Pet Responsibilities

It has been on my mind for quite some time that we have some big responsibilities when it comes to our beloved furry family members.  Not only are we responsible for their daily care, like food, water, walks, etc.  We are also responsible for making sure of their well being in the event that anything should happen to us.  Here are a few things to think about.

Jon and I each keep a card in our wallets from the ASPCA that says we have pets at home.  On the card we have listed the number of a close friend and our apartment manager.  That way they would be alerted that we are unable to attend to our "kids" needs and they would step in and offer temporary assistance.  We also have a sign in our window to let fire or police personnel know that there are animals inside.

In 2011, after I was hit by a car and Jon came very close to death and spent a month in the hospital, we realized how tenuous life can be.  We modified our wills to, not only provide for our kids financially, but to designate someone who will see to it that the finances will be used in the way we specified.  It ended up being a full extra page added to our existing Wills.  But we now have the peace of mind knowing that, should catastrophe strike, the animals would be taken care of.

One other very important responsibility is to always maintain an emergency fund for veterinary costs.  You just never know and if disaster strikes you don't want to be caught unprepared.  Especially in these uncertain economic times, it is important to insure that we have something set aside that we hold sacred.  Even if we were starving, we would never touch this fund.  We have it in a separate account so we aren't tempted to use it for anything else.

Lastly, you need to be prepared for the eventual passing of your dear ones.  We have chosen cremation, but regardless of your personal choice in that regard, it is a good idea to know what service you will be using and to make prearrangement just as you would for yourself.  A time of grief is not a good time to make those decisions.  All we will have to do is make that dreaded phone call.

This is all just food for thought but I wanted to share my thoughts on these matters.


                                     Peace and Love,

                                        Austin/Bill

                                 www.wahjr56.blogspot.com

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