WILL YOUR DOGS NEED TO BE RESCUED? By Allynid “Lynnie” Bunten
I love the Chihuahua breed. That is why I got into rescue. It began by helping an old breeder who asked for help placing her dogs because she was unable to keep track of which ones she had fed and exercised, was in the beginning stages of dementia. This effort led to the formation of a Chihuahua Rescue group, coordi- nated via the beginnings of the inter- net. We organized, incorporated, re- ceived a 501c3, and did all the things a rescue does. Rescue is about saving, in this case, dogs that are in danger of harm or death. Most stories are about hoard- ers and other extreme situations. We help with that, but usually our cases start with “My mother died and we can’t keep her Chihuahuas” or some- thing similar. Other cases involve a
Chihuahua found on the street with- out a chip or other identification. The finder is looking for help in order to avoid taking the animal to the pound or a shelter. As space in foster homes allows we are able to help. In the case of the family or friend who has died or moved into another living situa- tion, solutions could be developed by the dog’s owners. Planning for the fu- ture of our pets without us is not fun, but is part of our responsibility as a pet owner. Most of us have thought about pro- viding for our dogs if they should sur- vive us. How many of us have added our dogs to our wills? But, have we considered that the will may not be dealt with right after our death? The dogs could starve to death wait- ing for probate. Here are things we
can do to make sure that our dogs are cared for when we die or if we are suddenly unable to care for ourselves and them. Here is the beginning of a list that you can use as a starting point in plan- ning for the future and the welfare of your pets: • Set up awrittenplanwith a friend or family and designate who is to execute it. • Create a file for each animal with photos, vet records, mi- crochip numbers and all other pertinent information. • Make a list of the animals for your designee. Be sure your des- ignee knows where the files are to be kept. • Specify where each animal is to go and include means to identify
56 • T op N otch T oys , A ugust 2019
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