On November 3rd, we held a Pet Trust Luncheon for members of our community. The event was generously sponsored by Cape Ann Savings Bank Trust and Financial Services and Warshaw, Di Carlo & Associates. The function room of the Gloucester House was filled with pet owners, eager to learn how to protect their pets in the event that they pass away or are otherwise unable to care for them. For those that were unable to attend, we hope this recap and linked resources are helpful to you as you make important decisions and plans for the future.

Unfortunately, most people do not make arrangements for their pets in their estate plan and as a result, Cape Ann Animal Aid is often asked to assume responsibility for pets when the owners of these animals are no longer capable of providing care. In fact, in 2017 alone, we took in 22 animals due to either declining health or death of the owner. 

Attorneys George Warshaw and Noel DiCarlo of Warshaw, DiCarlo and Associates presented the case for considering the many legal mechanisms that can be used to ensure that your pet has both a caretaker and the funds available for their care.

They outlined important steps in preparing for your pet's care in the future and answered questions from attendees. One of the first steps is to name a caretaker and to make sure they are willing and able to take on your pet’s care. Relying on family and friends without making sure they have the ability and desire to care for your pets is not enough. They also encouraged you to name additional willing caretakers as back-ups should complications arise.

Next, it is important to provide sufficient funds to care for your pet during their lifetime. In Massachusetts, all of this can be done through a pet trust. George and Noel both emphasized that once the pet trust is set up, it should be revisited periodically to make sure it does not need to be updated.

The key take away from the event was that making sure your beloved pets will be taken care of when you can no longer take care of them yourself is important and the time to start the process is now.

For more information about setting up a pet trust, speak with your lawyer, or contact Warshaw, Dicarlo and Associates. Financial planning assistance is also available through local banks such as Cape Ann Financial and Trust Services, the generous presenting sponsor of the luncheon.

Resources and Links:
Pet Trust Information
(Warshaw, DiCarlo and Associates)

Travel/Home Away Pet Care Instructions
(Warshaw, DiCarlo and Associates)

Cape Ann Trust and Financial Services

Sandy Mitchell Circle of Friends Bequest Society
(Cape Ann Animal Aid)

Thank you for the incredible show of support for Florian. His spirits (and ours) were uplifted by your love. As we stated in the original post, we have been working closely with the local Animal Control and law enforcement officials on this case. As such, we are not able to disclose very many details. However, we wanted to keep you updated to the best of our ability.

We can confirm that Florian is no longer in our care. A relative of the perpetrator contacted Animal Control and took custody of him. They were unaware that he was going to be abandoned and were extremely grateful for his safe capture and the care he received at Cape Ann Animal Aid. Florian was familiar with this individual and we believe that he is going to be happy and safe in this person’s care.

We will continue to work with local officials regarding charges that may be brought against the individual that made the careless and inhumane decision to abandon Florian. We made a decision to share this story publicly to spread awareness and promote healthy conversations about pet surrender. We thank you again for your suggestions, words of support, and continued friendship.

It’s been a stressful and nerve-wracking weekend here at Cape Ann Animal Aid and we wanted to tell you about it. But first, a quick note -- Our goal in sharing this story is to emphasize the importance of considering local shelters like Cape Ann Animal Aid a partner in the surrender process. We can only accept new animals when we have space available. Intakes (both local surrenders and all out-of-state transports) are done on an appointment basis. In some cases, appointments can be made for the same day and other times, space is not available for a few days or even weeks. Scheduled intake insures the safety and emotional well-being of all the animals in our care. Regardless, our goal is to always to treat the animals and pet owners with respect, doing all we can to address difficult situations with sensitivity and care.

On Friday morning, a pet owner arrived at Cape Ann Animal Aid with their cat in a carrier. They needed to surrender the cat but our shelter was completely full. If we had open space available, we would have been able to take in the cat that day, but since they needed immediate placement and could not wait, we offered to refer them to other facilities that might have more immediate space availability.

They did not start the surrender process nor did they accept our offer of referral. Instead, they became angry and abruptly left with the cat. They chose to stop their car halfway down Paws Lane and released the cat on the side of the road.

When an owner makes an irresponsible decision such as abandonment, we can only hope for an outcome like this. We were lucky to catch this cat and we will do all we can to make him feel safe and loved. While he is a little uneasy in the shelter and around the other cats, he is very sweet with people. We have named him 'Florian', the meaning of which is ‘blooming or flowering’. Florian was found safe among blooming flowers in our shelter garden and we hope that he will bloom and thrive while in our care. We will be sure to keep you updated on his status.

If you or someone you know ever needs to surrender an animal, please refer them to our Pet Surrender webpage for resources, detailed information about our surrender process, and copies of our surrender questionnaires. It is our responsibility to insure that we have enough space and resources necessary to provide exceptional care to each animal in our protection. The waiting period before a scheduled intake can fluctuate from immediate intake to a few days or weeks. For those needing same-day placement when it is not possible, we will always refer or connect individuals to other facilities where space may be available. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us directly.

CLICK HERE TO READ AN UPDATE

HOGAN'S HEARTWORM HEROES
You may have heard about one of our current shelter dogs named Hogan. We've profiled his case on our social media pages and more prominently on our Gloucester Pride Stride team page where a group of dedicated supporters is walking to raise funds for his medical expenses. The team has cleverly named themselves 'Hogan's Heartworm Heroes'. (At this moment, just over $700.00 of the estimated $1,000 needed to cover the expenses of Hogan's care has been raised.Thank you!)


But what exactly is heartworm and how is it treated? We've fielded a number of questions from our volunteers and supporters regarding this condition over the past few weeks. The answers are important -- and now more than ever-- because we just got some bad news...another dog in our care has tested positive for heartworm. That's right, hot off the heels of Hogan's treatment, Bella, a one-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback mix with a goofy smile and a contagious zest for life, is just beginning her treatment. Detailed and more clinical explanations about heartworm can be found here. But for this blog post, we'll break it down more simply. 

Treatment and care for Bella over the next 2-3 months will look like this:

1. One month on a dose of antibiotics and steroids to weaken the heartworms, kill any bacteria they may have introduced, and reduce inflammation in preparation of treatment.
2. Two intramuscular injections to kill the adult heartworms. 
3. Six to eight weeks of continued exercise restriction. Heartworms can be up to a foot long and are living in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Exercise and physical exertion of any kind can increase the rate of damage in these organs, posing increased threat to the animal's well-being. 

Our goal is to place Bella into a foster home with one of our current staff members or volunteers. Because of the activity restrictions and medical needs, we are not always able to find suitable foster care. If that is the case, Bella will remain at our shelter, just like Hogan did. Regardless, we will be sure that she gets plenty of cuddles and care from all of us here at the shelter!