Planning for the care of pets after one's death or incapacity is essential to ensure their well-being and avoid uncertain futures. This guide outlines practical steps for pet owners to secure their pets' care through trusted caregivers, legal provisions, and detailed care instructions. You should choose a caregiver for your pets (and have a back-up).
If you are bound by contract to return the dog to a reputable breeder, rescue or other entity and the breeder, rescue or other entity is in a position to take the pet back, please refer to the provisions of your contract with them. If there is no contract, identify and communicate with your caregivers.
Pet owners should choose primary and backup caregivers from friends or family, discussing the pets’ routines, needs, and long-term care commitments to ensure willingness and preparedness. Even if you have a wonderfully reliable caregiver in mind, we’d always recommend naming someone as a backup too, simply because people’s circumstances can change over time.
We have created a Pre-Need form that you can complete if you would like for us to care for your Setter if something should happen to you. This form is not a legal document and does not allow us to take possession of your Setter(s) if something should happen where you are unable to care for them, so you would need to express your wishes with your personal representative and/or caregivers. Please provide them with a copy of the completed Pre-Need form. This will provide them with Save Our Setters contact information about your pet(s). They would need to contact Save Our Setters at intake@saveoursetters.org to complete the intake process for us to take possession of the dog. A copy of the Pre-Need form will be sent to the owner’s email provided in the form. A copy of this email should be retained should you need to edit it at a later date. A hardcopy of the Pre-Need form can be provided to your personal representative and should also be kept with your Last Will and Testament (or Trust).
If you have more than one Setter, you need to create a form for each.
1 - Create a Dog Care Card
This card informs others, especially in emergencies, that you have pets at home that require care and indicates the owner's desire for pets to be rehomed responsibly. This card should be kept in your wallet along with your ID card.
2 - Include your Pet(s) in your Will (or Trust).
If you have a Will already, you could add a ‘codicil’ that’s specifically about your pets – a codicil lets you make amendments or additions to your existing Will without needing a new one. In your codicil you could apportion a set amount of money to the care of your pets and name the person or rescue you would like to care for your pet. Without a Will, the future of your pets could hang in the balance and will probably fall to the Administrator of your estate to decide.
3 – Complete the Pre-Need Form
You should also complete the “Pre-Need” for each of your pets coming to Save Our Setters, giving details about their diet, activities, routine, vet’s information, medical care, prescriptions, pet insurance details, and even the special treats your pets enjoy. After completing the form, remember to hit the Submit button at the end so that Save Our Setters will receive a copy of your Pre-Need form. The “Save” button will not sent your information to us.
This is a great way to tell people how your Setter should be looked after immediately following your death before the Will is read.
Feel free to use the PDF version of this form for your non-Setter pets.