That is the real tragedy of having a pet. You usually outlive them. But I would suggest the alternative of them outliving you has the potential to be worse, because who knows where they might end up?
In my opinion I think it’s important to always have a plan for your pet in case you die, as you never know. I personally have a beneficiary for a portion of my 401k that will get $20k of it and my dog(s) upon my death if my husband isn’t alive at the time. It’s a person I trust and has agreed to take on the responsibility, and care for them the way I would. I know not everyone is able to leave funds for the care of their pet, but having the conversation with friends and loved ones ahead of time to see who could and would take them is important.
My mother is in her 80s and has a dog, but she also had a plan for it before she got it. I still don’t love that she got it, but at least she did that.
Dogs can offer fantastic companionship and help keep the elderly active longer. At 80, your mother could still potentially outlive the dog depending on the age/breed and both of their health! I do hope that I live to be 80 and still have a dog. Dogs, like humans, are pretty resilient. They can bounce back from grief and change. Sounds like the dog’s welfare is planned for, so I personally think it’s great! That dog might help give her more years herself!
That’s a fair point, but there are a couple of other reasons- it’s a purebread and she is one of those furbaby people who never let their dog have fun and get worked up over the tiniest thing. I once accidentally stepped on her dog’s paw and it made her do a very quick yelp and my mother literally spent five minutes checking every single leg over and over to make sure nothing is broken.
That is the real tragedy of having a pet. You usually outlive them. But I would suggest the alternative of them outliving you has the potential to be worse, because who knows where they might end up?
In my opinion I think it’s important to always have a plan for your pet in case you die, as you never know. I personally have a beneficiary for a portion of my 401k that will get $20k of it and my dog(s) upon my death if my husband isn’t alive at the time. It’s a person I trust and has agreed to take on the responsibility, and care for them the way I would. I know not everyone is able to leave funds for the care of their pet, but having the conversation with friends and loved ones ahead of time to see who could and would take them is important.
My mother is in her 80s and has a dog, but she also had a plan for it before she got it. I still don’t love that she got it, but at least she did that.
Dogs can offer fantastic companionship and help keep the elderly active longer. At 80, your mother could still potentially outlive the dog depending on the age/breed and both of their health! I do hope that I live to be 80 and still have a dog. Dogs, like humans, are pretty resilient. They can bounce back from grief and change. Sounds like the dog’s welfare is planned for, so I personally think it’s great! That dog might help give her more years herself!
That’s a fair point, but there are a couple of other reasons- it’s a purebread and she is one of those furbaby people who never let their dog have fun and get worked up over the tiniest thing. I once accidentally stepped on her dog’s paw and it made her do a very quick yelp and my mother literally spent five minutes checking every single leg over and over to make sure nothing is broken.