Fat Cats and Lucky Dogs: Book review
February 01, 2011 • Product Reviews
How to leave some of your estate to your pet: Plain and simple, Fat Cats and Lucky Dogs, spells it all out. Laywer Barry Seltzer and Professor Gerry W. B Beyer spell out easy steps to help improve your pet’s quality of life and general well-being and potential survival should you become ill or pass away.
Topic we happily talk about? No.
Topic that’s necessary and mandates talking about? Waggingly, yes.
As the authors state, “although the book cannot replace a lawyer in your jurisdiction, it can offer ideas and strategies for protecting your animal friends.”
Who remembers hotel heiress Leona Helmsley, who in 2007, passed away and left her $5-$8 million dollar estate to her dogs? Though her trust fund was set up properly and left for the care of her dogs, the majority of us may not go to such great lengths to set up the documents needed upon our passing. This book provides resources in order to do so.
As a dog lover and avid news junkie, I read this book cover to cover. Initially scanning the table of contents, my eyes immediately went to chapter 8, “Setting up an informal long-term care plan for your pet.” I most enjoyed the overview of each chapter the authors provide as a preface. Though informal arrangements are not legally binding, as you’ll find out in the text, writing Fido’s instructions down and keeping copies with the proper parties is a start.
The rest of the book provides the meat and potatoes of what Fido’s care legal in the event of your passing. Did you know there are:
• Pet retirement homes and sanctuaries?
• Statutory pet trusts available?
• Pet alert cards you should keep and what they need to detail?
• Ways to make a conditional gift to a human in trust?
Making a handshake more formal is crucial and the authors provide details on how to get this done. U.S. state pet trust statues are provided from Alabama to Wyoming. Though the authors recommend seeking a lawyer’s skilled eye and expertise in crafting important documents, guidance in drafting provisions for your will and trust are given.
If you are or know someone with an exotic pet, i.e. snakes, big cats, and even wolves, there is an entire chapter devoted to the bequeathing of such beloved pets. Where many books skip this aspect, it was very refreshing to know the authors took their to include all animal lovers. Paws up for this.
All in all, a general resource from which we gleaned a plethora of information. The topic of our passing and leaving Fido behind is certainly not something we enjoy talking about, but sharing expert info from those who have done the research is high on our “pass it on” list.
Note: We accept no monetary compensation for reviews. Review is NOT sponsored by authors of this book and is the sole opinion of the reviewer for FIDO Friendly magazine. We welcome your feedback and comments.
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