Gentreo is a top-rated online estate planning provider that helps people create, store, share and access their critical estate planning documents from one place. It’s easy, secure and affordable, and includes all of the documents a person may need:
- Last Will and Testament
- Living Trust
- Health Care Proxy
- Power of Attorney
- And more!
Just in time for National Pet Month in May, Gentreo has launched their pet-specific package, Gentreo Pets, which includes all the documents that pet owners need to ensure quality of care and provide for their pets in an emergency. It’s the first pet-specific bundle offering available in the estate planning industry.
What Is Gentreo Pets?
Gentreo Pets is Gentreo’s pet-specific product that includes all of the documents you need to protect your pet and express your wishes in regard to their care when you cannot be there for them yourself.
With the Pet Information Sheet, you can provide pet sitters and caregivers with the details about caring for your pet. List your pet’s vet and emergency contact information, note their diet and exercise routines and preferences, point out medications and dosages, and more! You can even list things like your pet’s favorite toys, treats, walk routes, and any other details that will help your pet’s caregiver take care of them as you would.
A Pet Power of Attorney is an important document to have if you ever travel for work or pleasure and leave your pet at home in someone else’s care. It’s necessary because most vets will not perform expensive services for your pet without your express written authorization because they need assurance that they will be paid. If you’re traveling and your pet’s vet is unable to contact you, they may refuse to perform a service without your express authorization, leaving your pet to suffer, or worse. With a Pet Power of Attorney, you can authorize your pet’s caregiver to make decisions and empower them to approve services and expenses on your behalf. You can choose the length and extent of the Power of Attorney.
“As many are preparing to travel as COVID restrictions are lifted, making sure our pets’ sitters have the right information and paperwork is critical to securing care if needed.”
– Mary Kate D’Souza, Gentreo Chief Legal Officer
If your pet should outlive you, it’s critical to have a Pet Trust, which allows you to appoint a permanent caregiver and provide financial resources for your pet’s care after your passing. You must fund the Trust with the money to cover your pet’s care, and you can include additional compensation for the caregiver, if you choose. A Pet Trust also allows you to appoint a Trustee and Protector, who manage the funds in the Trust and enforce your wishes according to the Trust, respectively.
“Thanks to medical advances, our pets are living longer than they used to. This means we need to make sure they will be cared for if we pass away before they do, and a Pet Trust does this.“
– Mary Kate D’Souza, Gentreo Chief Legal Officer
If you cannot afford to pay for your pet’s care after your death, you may prefer to simply include your pet in your Will. Despite the fact that we love them like family, pets are legally viewed as property, so pets cannot be beneficiaries in your Will. Instead, you can name a beneficiary to inherit your pet upon your death, and they would be the permanent caregiver.
How Do I Get Started?
Whether the pet is a dog or cat, bird or horse, Gentreo’s state-specific and legally binding documents help pet owners provide for their pets and protect their wellbeing.
Existing users of Gentreo.com can now create all of their pet documents as well as their own estate planning documents as part of their current plan for $99 per year. Gentreo Pets includes only the pet-specific documents – a Pet Power of Attorney, Pet Trust, and Pet Information Sheet – and costs $49 per year. Membership includes secure storage in Gentreo’s proprietary Digital Vault, where you can share your pet protection documents with caregivers and other individuals of your choosing. With the Vault, anyone you choose can access documents and information in an emergency with just a couple of clicks.
