Announcements and Reminders
 
Michelle Averill was welcomed as a new member.
July 28th the District Governor will be here. Board members should be here at 10:30.
On Aug 11th in the evening at the we’ll non-debunk Al (as he is staying on for another year). Pass on any information on Al to Doug. Pam Goodman announced we will be dark that day.
 Doug shared a photo of the sign thanking the Club for the money we donated for the new mural under the Aptos trestle
 
The speakers today were Allison Cruz from Estate Planning services, (Allison@Cruzkidz.com), Jen Walker, Programs and Development Manager from the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCAS) (www.scanimalshelter.org), and Renee M. Snow, PhD from ASL Financial (rsnow@sagepointadvisor.com). The topic was planning for your beloved pet as part of your estate planning or  what happens to them if something happens to you 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ms. Walker described the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. The SCAS, the county’s only open admission shelter sees to it that no animal is turned away.  They have two locations in Live Oak and Watsonville respectively. They see 5000 animals every year. Strays are held for 4 days, after that they become the responsibility of the Shelter. They are open 7 days a week with 30 employees and 400 volunteers.  They are a joint powers authority.. some public finding and some private.  Private funded programs include Spay neuter programs as well as kid and adult education.  She says come down and visit!
Ms. Cruz addressed the issue of what happens to our pets when we die. She said the cost of cat care $2500/year and for dogs it $3100/yr.  She suggested using that as a guide to set that much aside (per year) for pet care after you die.  Steps you can take today include: (1) Find friends or relatives to use as emergency caregivers (2) Carry a wallet alert card.
Dr. Snow spoke about what happens if you don’t have a plan. Your estate goes into probate and the plan for the care of your pet will be part of that. Pets are considered ‘chattel’ or an asset. Without a plan your next of kin will be responsible for the pet. You can create a trust to care for your pet. What is a revocable trust? A legal entity that holds assets. There is a trustor (you) , trustee named by you, a successor trustee, and back-up. Beneficiaries can include the Animal Shelter of Santa Cruz County.
Ancillary documents to a trust include a durable power of attorney, pour over will, HIPAA release, Advanced Health Care Directive, Certification of Trust Agreement and a PCOR (Preliminary Change of Ownership Report). If the caregiver gets more than $40,000 it requires annual reporting procedures. Discuss what the pets needs with them before you name them and put it in writing. You can also name an enforcer who watches over the animal welfare and costs.
She said that for more information, see ‘Pet Trusts’ Probate Code Section 15212. These are the laws governing pet trusts.  Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter also offers workshops on disaster planning and euthanasia this fall. Consider adopting a pet!