Ensuring Care for Your Pets After You're Gone

    New program at Animal Ark Guarantees a place for your pets should anything happen to you

    If you have pets, you want the comfort of knowing they will be cared for and loved if anything should happen to you. Animal Ark now offers a program called Continuing Care to ensure that happens.

    Through the Continuing Care program anyone who leaves a bequest to Animal Ark can make plans for the lifetime care of their pets should their pets survive them. When an Animal Ark member enrolled in this program passes away we will guarantee a home for their pet(s). These animals can stay at Animal Ark, or at one of our foster homes, until a new, permanent home can be found for them.

    "We are pleased to make this program available to help pet owners plan for their companions’ futures," said Mike Fry, Development Director of Animal Ark. "At the same time, we are hopeful that some of our members will also want to help us plan for the futures of countless other unwanted, homeless, sick, injured and abused animals by not only leaving us sufficient resources to care for their pets, but enough to ensure our continued operation and to provide care for many others as well."

    The steps to follow to enroll in the program are simple. They are:

    Step 1: Enroll in the program. You can do this by calling Animal Ark at (651) 772-8983. Press 2 then 0 and ask for Marlene. You may also enroll online.

    Step 2: Prepare or alter your will to include Animal Ark. Make sure you include sufficient resources to cover the long-term care of your companions, including funds to cover emergency medical care should that become necessary. Remember, Animal Ark is a no-kill shelter. Animals are, therefore, not put to sleep unless they are suffering and beyond care. While many animals are adopted quickly, some are with us for quite a while. Older pets or those with medical or behavior-based special needs can take quite a lot of time to place into new homes. A general rule of thumb is to include a minimum of $3,000 for each of your pets. This will provide for their care, and leave enough resources to provide for any emergencies that might arise. One way to accomplish this goal is to take out a life insurance policy and list Animal Ark as the beneficiary. This ensures the resources will be available for your pets if they are ever needed.

    Step 3: Send Animal Ark a copy of your will. We will keep it on file with your enrollment information. This will help us ensure the resources left to us may be accessed easily, should they be needed.

    Step 4: Animal Ark will send you a card to keep in your wallet indicating that if anything should happen to you, your animals are to be taken directly to our shelter in Hastings. Place this card in your wallet, and inform your friends and family that you have made these preparations.

    In the event that you leave pets behind, this will guarantee a prompt and easy admission at the shelter.

    Preparing for the continued care of your pets is an important part of being a pet guardian. Animal Ark is, therefore, pleased to provide a safe and loving place for your pets should the time come that it is needed.

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