Have any of you stopped to think what will happen to your dogs if you die ? I know its hard but none of us are immortal and especailly those of us with multiple dog households.
I have lost count of the amount of times we have stepped in as a rescue at the eleventh hour to help a dog when a person has died and the relatives have decided no one wants the dog.
Here is an example I was called by a very upset lady whose friend had died her family were going through her belonging like a dose of salts no one was bothered about her dog,they decided to ring the Vet when they cleared the house and she was booked in to be PTS.the dog in question was a lab/corgi cross aged six,i went straight there and she was just sat there the relatives still rifling the house,all around was pictures of this little dog in frames and there was even a christmas present for the dog wrapped up.
This dog was the love of the owners life but to her relatives was a nuisance,I was called by the friend because she thought she was a labrador anyway I took her as I couldnt stand the thought of her being PTS.She went to be a friend to another retired lady and lived out her days there she died last year.
The moral of this story is please think ! you could go out in your car tommorow and not come home again,talk to your relatives but above all talk to you friends tell them what your wishes are regarding your pet.
Please think about this NOW it doenst matter if you are 30 or 80 give it your attention and above all write it down!
Today i had the sad task of helping some friends of a lady who died last week at a young age they are all distraught I said did she make her wishes known and they said well she didnt expect to die so soon !

Thank you Mattie made me think and what you said made so much sence

The same can happen when an elderly person goes into a nursing home. I helped out with 2 elderly cockers that had been left in the care of this lady's relatives and basically last november in the middle of a very cold spell (and bonfire night) they were shoved out into the back garden until they could get them sorted out. I contacted a small rescue who found them a nice warm home to live out their days.

I cant speak for other rescues but for my own we will happily help and god willing im still around ive offered to take some of my more elderly friends dogs to ease their minds.

I am lucky and know my family would be there to take care of things if i wasn't, saying that we still haven't got our dog yet! I understand what you are saying though for the poor pets who haven't got caring familes.

I've arranged for friends to take the dogs should I die before them. I am also in the will of another friend to take her dogs should she die before her dogs.

Jesse

As part of a breed rescue, I have come across this so many times. Even members of the family in some cases do not want to take on the dog/s. They just want rid of a 'problem'. So they come into rescue. We are very lucky as a breed rescue and are able to take them in and look after them. I have been doing rescue for 17 years, and given a home to countless over 12 years old. The younger one's we can home.
Fetching a 13 year old from a kennel that a member of the family had dumped her in, after the owner had died - as they did not want her. She was lucky someone saw her and contacted me. She would have died sad and alone in that kennel.

I know of instances in other breed rescue, where there has been money left in a will to take care of the dog etc. When the family sorted out the estate and placed the dog into rescue, they sent not a penny. It always saddens me - to see how other people treat and view something (in this case animals) that have been loved and part of someone's life.

Coleen

Hi Coleen,
It's really sad when these dogs end up in kennels, and 'family members' just don't care about them. We have an elderly lady (mid 80's) at our dog training club, and she has one older dog and one young dog, and has always said, my dogs will be taken care of by my children or grandchildren if something happens to me. Well, earlier this year she had a bad fall, and had to be in hospital for a couple of months - but did her family look after the dogs? No - they ended up in kennels. Though they are back home with her now, it's obvious to me that when she passes on, those dogs will not have a home except in rescue.

i agree totally with what you are saying mattie. my best friend died 9 years ago form cancer and expressed her wishes that she wanted her lab to come to me after she died as her hubby worked long shifts and wouldn't be able to look after him.sadly as soon as she died he took him to the RSPCA shelter,(we didnt get on!!) so god knows whats become of him now.
I have four labs and am going in hospital next week for what should be a minor op, but now i am going to rewrite my will to ensure they are looked after properly if anything happens to me and my hubby cant cope with them all.so thanks for the advice mattie:)

I was contacted last year about a scheme that was starting in the Oxfordshire area, and asked would I spread the word. I was not sure, and tried to find some more answers - but never did. I thought the idea was brilliant IF done correctly.

If you owned any pet you filled out a form and stuck in on the fridge in full view. You filled on this form the details of who would look after your animal/s if you should be taken ill suddenly. A second copy was filed away with the local Council Health Authorities via the people who were planning to run this scheme. The theory is that should any ambulance person, neighbour family, see this, they could then contact the person you have nominated to come and get your animal. When I was contacted the idea I believe was free, but it did to my mind have lots of possible pitfalls in the initial stages. I have not heard if this scheme ever did get off the ground. Perhaps someone else might know of it.

Some friends stepped in to look after a lady in their village had fallen over. She was in her 80's but wonderfully capable. They went to see her in the hospital and said her little dog could stay with them. Although they were not family, the hospital said they thought she would be back home - although not fully able to walk properly in about 3 weeks, and if they were willing to pop in a see and help her they were happy for her to come home. They were more then happy to do this.
They did not ask for any money for the dog, but the lady asked her Daughter to write them a cheque for the dogs food, and I believe a booster was due. The daughter came for the little dog, saying she would take it to the Vets for it's booster to save them the trouble. She never came back with the little dog. She had it put to sleep. Her reason "it was to save her Mother falling over the dog again" Her mother had never fallen over the dog in the first place, she had slipped outside on some wet leaves. My friends were shocked that anyone could do such a cruel and wicked thing. That little dog was that ladies life.

The lady did come home, but only for a few weeks, she seemed to have lost interest and she went into a nursing home.

This once happened to me as well, I was looking after a Goldie as the marraige had broken up. It was the Husbands dog and he could not take it. She was a lovely dog and had always lived outside in a tiny tiny kennel. She loved being with my dogs and being in the house. He came to take her for the Christmas Holiday, he missed her he said. He never told me, someone in the Village did. He took her to the Vet, and gave some rubbish story that the Vet said her kidneys were failing (all by eye, no test). So he put her to sleep. All I could say was she must have gone down hill overnight, she was a fit and healthy dog. I felt gutted. He just wanted rid of her, and even though I had offered to take and keep her - he went and did that. I still think of her and wish I had not let her go back to him. He remarried and got another dog. Easy come easy go to some people.

Coleen

When we did our will last year, we made sure there was provision for both dogs and cat. My parents will have custody (?) of the dogs and will be given a certain amount of money every year of the dogs lives. It really worried me before that, and obviously if their circumstances, or ours, change we will amend the will (we chose the will where they come to your house, with an initial payment, and then £15 every time we make an amendment - like when we get another pup!

A very good friend of mine died suddenly at 35 years old. So its worth bearing in mind that you need to make a will NOW!

One of my friends has put a couple of her dogs in her will that will come to me.

Unfortunately, being a 32 year old I've made no provisions at all for my dogs and I have 5 and I live on my own. I know that my mum and dad would definitely have Dilita and they've already got one of the 5 as she doesn't get on with the rest, but I haven't a clue what would happen to my other 3, especially as they are all very different characters.

I know that any number of people would want to have Dilita. I think a no. would have Anton my young lad, but Lydia my nearly 10 year old doesn't think much of people and she decides who she thinks is nice and who isn't so she could be the one I would have most problems with!!! Carina on the other hand is big and strong, bouncy and also decides whether she likes a person or not so it could be hard placing her too. They also have quite a long life span about 15 years so that's another thing I would have to think about too.

Something like this certainly makes you think. As you say you never know, I live two minutes away from where the accident near Manchester Airport was and look at the poor families there you just never know when your time will come and I suppose really it's something that we should all think about seriously.

my mum has had a will drawn up and i only get the house and contents if i have the dogs to go with it.once the morgage is finished they will sign the house over to me so if they end up in nursing homes the goverment cant take the house away and thats how i want it too i all the best gwen

I have made a will, too. In case of my death all I own will go to a very close friend of mine, and if she dies all will go to me. I bet, she is praying now that I die after her as she has two dogs and I got 40 dogs, 5 horses and a donkey :D.

Sarah

hi, i,ve just this week written my will. i'm only in my thirties but i guess u need ti think about these things. my sister has agreed to take my dog and i've left sufficient funds to care for him throughout his life. I've only had jake 9 weeks but love him to pieces. I'd hate for him to be neglected or pts if i died.

Hi

I too have made provision in a will for my dogs. There is also a fantastic organisation called the Cinnamon Trust who help people who have to go into hospital find fosterers for their dogs, and will take them in permanently if need be. They also provide voluntary dog walkers for people who can't get their dogs out for walks - my sister has two walkers for her dogs, and they are fantastic. So few people seem to know about them.

Often people who long term foster a dog for someone in hospital will correspond with the person to let them know how their loved pet is getting on.

Have a look at their website - I wish more people knew about them.

Kat

ProDogs do a similar scheme as the Cinnamon Trust. With both you do need to contact them before anything happens and not after.

Hi Mattie,
I work at the RSPCA, so i know all about people not wonting their dogs and for the poor old dogs that their elderly owners have past away and that no one whats them because they are to old, is a shame if only everyone could think on the lines of you the animal world would be a better place i think!!! If only relatives of these people could find a soft spot in their hearts and take them in themself it would benefit the owners and the dogs.