If your pet is treated as a member of the family, you may consider cremation and keeping the ashes at home.
Not everyone sees pets as members of the family. However, there is a trend for pets to be treated in death the way they were treated in life.
This has resulted in a growing trend for funeral homes to offer cremation for pets, according to PA in “Pet Cremation Industry Gains Popularity.”
For the relatively small price of a few hundred dollars, people can have their pets cremated. The price normally includes an urn to hold the ashes, which people can take home with them.
Perhaps more important than what will be done with your pet when it passes away, is what will be done with your pet when you pass away.
Your pet cannot get a job to support itself. You might treat it like any other human family member, but it is not that human.
Therefore, if you want to make sure your pet is taken care of, you need to make plans. There are several different ways that you can do so in an estate plan.
You can designate someone to take care of your pet and set money aside for that purpose. You can even create a pet trust with your pet as the beneficiary.
An estate planning attorney can guide you in creating an estate plan that meets your specific circumstances, including how you may want your pet to be cared for after you pass away.
Reference: PA (June 23, 2017) “Pet Cremation Industry Gains Popularity.”
