Are you the only human in your
household? Are you the only human in your household who provides care to your companion animal(s)?
Today’s post is on a serious topic,
but one worthy of attention. The NSW Trustee and Guardian is the independent
executor, administrator, attorney and trustee for the people of New South
Wales. They look after people’s affairs when they die, or if they’re otherwise
incapacitated.
Unfortunately, every year they hear
of pets being left alone when people die without a valid Will, or when people
have health issues which make it difficult to communicate with others and tell
them about the pets they can no longer take care of.
In response, they’ve developed and
are distributing a pet emergency card that you can carry with you. If something
happens to you (which of course hopefully it won’t), this card alerts others that
you have a pet that needs looking after. It is small enough to be carried in a
wallet and contains space to write the pet’s name and who to contact in an
emergency.
The card comes attached to a brochure
which explains how you can include your pet in your Will, Power of Attorney and
Enduring Guardianship documents – a somber but really important thing to do to
ensure that your non-human companions are looked after if you're no longer able to care for them. They're available at some veterinary clinics (including the clinic I work at), animal welfare organisations or direct from the NSW Trustee. These kind of initiatives are designed to minimise suffering and provide continuity of care for animals that depend on us.
For further information visit the NSW
Trustee and Guardian at http://www.tag.nsw.gov.au/ or request a copy via
