Pet Memorial Advanced Planning

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Planning for the end of your beloved pet’s life is not a comfortable thing to talk about. But experts say it is a smart topic for any family to discuss – even when a pet is young and healthy. Here are some things to think about regarding advanced planning for your pet’s memorial.

Advanced planning of a pet memorial can be a great way for families to assure that they do not take for granted the great times they share with their pet. Putting a good deal of thought and discussion into exactly how your pet will be remembered will help everyone in a family appreciate their pet to the fullest extent. This kind of thinking can result in more pictures being taken of a pet, more carefree days of Frisbee catching at the beach or park, and just more time fending off a face full of licks.

Advance planning for a pet memorial also helps relieve a good deal of stress and other difficult emotions that may come about at the death of a pet (or as a death becomes eminent). Knowing exactly how a pet’s body will be disposed will prove to be a great comfort as important decisions must be made – such as whether or not euthanasia should be applied. Being able to concentrate solely on those sorts of decisions – with the peace of mind that comes from knowing what exactly will happen after a pet’s death – can lead to a much more comforting experience for any family faced with losing a pet.

And finally, many people choose to take their advanced memorial planning for their pets to an even further level – they include such arrangements in their own pre-planned documents. Experts particularly recommend this approach to assure long-term care for pets after their owners have died. (Thousands of animals are euthanized each year in shelters because, simply, their owners died without leaving instructions for how they should be cared for.) But, it is most certainly a comfort to all involved to know how exactly a pet will be treated after his owner is gone, but also how the pet will be remembered.

To assure that your pet is cared for properly upon your death, experts say it is important to establish a “pet trust” as part of your will and other final documents. Pet trusts can be established in a variety of forms, and many can be added inexpensively to an existing will. These documents spell out (and usually allow funding for) the proper care you wish for your pets, but they can also, of course, explain exactly how a person wants his or her pet to be remembered. (Many people still practice the tradition of having pets buried or scattered near their own gravesites. This is an off –shoot of the original practice in which pets of the dead were often buried alive with the bodies of their owners).

Pets are a big part of our lives, and they deserve to be remembered in style. Preplanning a pet memorial is a great way to assure that happens.

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