While I will probably outlive my pets, does anyone have any advice on how to plan for them in case I don't? I currently live alone, my family is states away, they all have pets of their own, and, to be frank, their lifestyles are very different than what my pets are used to. While I do actually have some money from life insurance and what-not, they can't inherit it, and I don't know anyone that I would trust enough to make their guardian. On the other hand, I don't want them to just wind up at a shelter or kicked out on the streets. So... any options out there?

That is a tough one. Wonder if you should have posted to legal? I have placed 2 dogs from the dog guide program in nursing homes. After Zeke failed as a dog guide, it took a lot off the edge when a staff member at the nursing home said ''We have been praying for a dog like Zeke''. That can be a great place for a dog. I occasionally visit nursing homes with my dogs and they are always well received. As a retired dog guide, Aster is a big hit. I really should let AMHD go and get around to taking Aster to visit nursing homes. The trouble for you will be managing the timing.

One of the saddest tasks I have done in the dog guide program was go gather up Randy. His partner had died years ago and then her sister and husband that were keeping him died. Randy fell into the care of a brother. My impression was that he was a good man, but clueless about dogs. When the school, as part of their lifelong commitment to the dogs, contacted him, he jumped at the chance to have them take him. Since I am on call for any need they have and he was near me, I was sent. Well, Randy was in poor shape, bony, smelly, and toenails grown in a semicircle. I gathered him up and took him home. My wife and I looked him over wondering what was best for him. The school had said they would pay for euthanasia and cremation. One factor in deciding to put him to sleep was that he had outlived all the people that he knew and loved. In a year and a half, our puppies start with their breeder, then to us, to the trainer at school, and then to their partner. In their year as a puppy, they frequently end up at a sitter for as much as 2 weeks. They do fine, but an older dog needs the right people. Even before Aster's mother was 10, she never seemed fully happy with us. Randy no longer had anybody. He just laid there with a far away look in his eyes. We chose to bury him in the tiny plot of woods we have. Aster will join him someday. My biggest regret was that I never him when he was working. That would have been a sight. He was a chocolate Lab, 24'' at the shoulder. He had orange highlights in his coat. Even though it would have been before we were part of the dog guide program, I don't think I would have forgotten seeing him and his partner walking down the street.

Froggy, it is a tough one. I have made arrangements with someone to take my dog if something should happen to me. Don't just look to your family, speak with friends about it. If you don't have anyone to count on to do this for you, it might be wise to contact the people you adopted Trink from and ask if they have any suggestions for you. As to the cats, if you adopted them from a local shelter, do the same thing.

Good points Ruby. I think some rescues insist on first refusal if rehomed. Also better breeders will take a dog back.

The dog guides commitment to the dogs they bred is for the dogs lifetime. If The old partner can't find a home for a retiring dog, the school will, starting with the family that raised it . I once helped transport a dog back to our friends home.

Yep, the rescue will take Trink (and in fact insist on the right to take her if I decide to get rid of her for any reason). The cats are more of a problem, since the one resue I got Rana from got shut down for the guy being a border-line hoarder, and Pyret was just adopted from the local animal shelter in a different state. And cats, especially older cats, are hard to rehome. What do you all think of the "retirement" homes (arrangements like this Assisi Animal Foundation - Continuing Pet Care Program)? I'm of two minds, myself. I'd rather the cats get adopted, but if they can't be, then something like that might work. But then there is also the concern about whether they will still be around (several have closed for financial problems, and some run into problems with crowding, etc.), and then what happens to the pets?

Edited the link.

Froggy, the link isn't working for some reason.

I know exactly what you mean about older cats. It is very much a problem. Very few people are willing to adopt an older animal. I know elderly people that don't have the funds and I have given donated pet food to, who have informed me that they have explicit instructions in their wills to euthanize their elderly cats if they should outlive their owner. Their worries are the same as yours and they have explained that they would rather have them put down than be subjected to the unknown. It is a very sad solution.

I am not sure what kind of place you are referring to, but there are places that if you leave instructions in your will for your cats to be delivered there and you supply an amount of money to the facility to cover medical and general care costs, they will take them. But, you have to be very thorough in your research and make sure that they are true to their word and don't euthanize any animals prior to making your decision to do something like that.

The other option of course is to find someone privately willing to do this if you leave them the money for their care with very explicit instructions in your will to ensure that they don't just take the money and dump the cats. Leona Helmsley did it with her dog, so if you find the right attorney to draft it up properly, you can do this too. I believe that there is additional money that is provided as a fee to pay a trustee to do spot checks on the situation and dole out the money in increments to the care provider. Your attorney or your executor would be a good person to act as trustee. But, then you have to ensure that you trust whomever you choose to abide by your instructions.

As I mentioned in my sad tale of Randy the loss of the owner cam be a factor to euthanize an older pet. I don't know if cats are attached to their people or not. Notice how seldom I post in cats and other pets.

Just as an FYI and not to get off topic: Cats, like dogs, do adjust to rehoming situations. Just like dogs, there are some cats that are very attached to their owners. I have seen many cats that are "doglike" in their affection toward people. I have a friend who does cat rescue and when I visit, it is so much fun to see some of her cats run to me for a good scratch, petting, and cuddle. She also has a pitbull rescue. That dog lives amidst a household of about 15 cats! She mothers all the kittens brought in and plays with any cat willing. Although she has been spayed for many years now when my friend rescued her, she was used as a breeder down in FL in the home of someone who raised fighting dogs. Her only issues are that she can't handle meeting or playing with more than one dog at a time.

Me personally,I know my dog Cocoa who is 15 would grieve herself to death over me.Anytime we have to go somewhere that I can't take her we are'nt gone long because she won't eat for anyone but me,she's nearly blind and almost deaf.If I died today my husband would have to put her down or watch her starve to death.My outdoor dogs would be fine with him,they have each other.

There is man in Webville, Kentucky he has a site called Trixies Foundation, his name is Randy Scaggs. He Will keep a dog, no matter the problem for the rest of its life. He told me he really doesn't believe in putting them down unless for a medical reason. These dogs live on 200 acres in packs. Good to see people in Kentucky standing up for animals. Here's his website... and he will return phone calls and talk at great length on the animals needs. The Trixie Foundation :: Appalachia's Animal Protection Organization

Froggy, I just read an article regarding people making estate arrangements for their pets that my family gave to me. It is from Dec 17, 2007 in the Wall Street Journal. I found it online so that you can read it. There are a few places listed in the article that can give you some helpful info. I hope the link works. Good Boy - WSJ.com