A large focus of ours this year is Pet Trusts. Too many animals are simply discarded or euthanized when their owner(s) pass on and this is just unacceptable. We started searching around for local organizations and businesses that share our common focus and found one great partner, Top Dog Country Club and their foundation the Top Dog Foundation. They were kind enough to send us over a brief overview which is included in the following paragraph. Please familarize yourself with who they are and what they do and go out and visit them! You’ll love the pool, “yappy hour” and much more there.
Have you ever worried what will happen to your dog if something happens to you? It turns out Top Dog Foundation (TDF) has been worrying about your dog for you. Even better, they have planned ahead to ensure the safety and well-being of your pup.
Founded in 2004, TDF rescues and cares for senior dogs. The Foundation has established a unique program, Dogs & Angels, that allows people to legally name them as caregivers for a dog if the person should become incapable. With the help of an estate planner, people can designate TDF to find a carefully chosen adoptive home or stipulate the dog should live in Top Dog Sanctuary, a state-of-the art facility now in the planning stages. It’s a safety net for dogs: Even the most conscientious dog owners cannot account for every life scenario. “Dogs come to us for many reasons,” says TDF founder Jean Stelten, “but two big ones are that the owner passes away or enters assisted living. With a pet trust in place, they can know that we will care for their best friend, ensuring loving, quality care for the rest of the dog’s life.”
Stelten points to two recent cases for TDF that demonstrate the need. When his person died, chocolate Lab Toby was left behind to a family who could not keep him. He was heading to euthanasia when a family friend called Top Dog instead. Toby is now living happily in an adoptive home. In the second case, a pet trust provided instructions and funding for the care of two beloved dogs, who—never at risk—moved seamlessly from care at Top Dog to a new adoptive home.
Until Top Dog Sanctuary is built, pet trusts may also designate dogs live at Stelten’s Top Dog Country Club, a vacation boarding facility that provides top notch care for dogs when their people travel or otherwise need a place for their dogs to stay. Ultimately, both facilities will share a 39-acre campus in New Germany that offers the space to play or nap, depending on the age of the dog.
To learn more about pet trusts or Top Dog Foundation, visit them at their website TopDogFoundation.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/topdogcountryclub.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, an undertaking as large as this unfortunately takes money. So, if you value pets like we do, please consider leaving some money for their foundation when completing your Estate Plan, or just feel free to donate what you feel is right here: http://www.topdogfoundation.org/donate/
As of the writing of this article, they are well on their way to their goal of $2,500,000. Almost 25% funded at $427,000!