Resources

Books

When Your Pet Outlives You: Protecting Animal Companions After You Die

Donald Congalton & Charlotte Alexander

When Your Pet Outlives You is an easy-to-use resource guide designed to help pet guardians deal with one of their major, overriding fears: If they die tomorrow, what will happen to their beloved companion animals? This is the first book to address this issue at length, combining personal stories with step-by-step information on how to prepare today, along with examples of legal documents, resources, and an index.

All My Children Wear Fur Coats: How to Leave a Legacy for Your Dog

Peggy R. Hoyt

All My Children Wear Fur Coats is about leaving a legacy for your pet and is a pet estate planning book. The Hall Mark of True Love is planning for your pet's future without you and for your future without your pet.

Perpetual Care: Who Will Look After Your Dogs if You're Not Around?

Lisa Rogak

In this groundbreaking book, you'll learn the pros and cons of setting up a pet trust, how to select a permanent caretaker, and how to come up with a plan that makes everybody, including your pets, happy.

Check-in Service

Iamfine

Iamfine is a daily check-in service to confirm that seniors living alone are OK. If you live alone and have pets, this service could save their life or yours. You set a time to be called each day. Iamfine calls you and you press "1" on your phone. You are now checked in for the day.

Financial Assistance for Pet Guardians

Assistance Dog Special Allowance Program

Provides a monthly payment of $50 to eligible persons who use a guide, signal, or service dog to help them with their disability-related needs.

BirchBark Foundation

Provides financial assistance to pet guardians needing assistance with veterinary expenses. Serving Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.

BluePearl Cares

Exclusive to BluePearl clients. Surgery must be done through BluePearl.

Brown Dog Foundation

You must apply online with a pre-screening application. If you qualify, a case manager will reach out and start the process. They no longer work with BluePearl.

Free Animal Doctor

Crowdfund individual cases for pets needing expensive procedures, pay directly to veterinarian.

The Magic Bullet Fund

Only for pets who are diagnosed with cancer who will be having surgery and need chemotherapy (funds can only be used for surgery or chemo). This org does not give grants but with guardian participation, they help crowdfund.

The Mosby Foundation

Provides financial assistance for critically sick and injured dogs.

Paws 4 A Cure

Only help with medications, insulin, heart worm treatment and medical equipment (like doggy wheelchairs). Maximum amount of assistance is $500 and it is a one-time grant.

Pets Find Help

Search engine for resources using zip code (includes food pantry, financial assistance, pet friendly housing, respite care, etc).

Pets of the Homeless

Financial assistance for vet care and pet food to unhoused individuals. Must call and do application over the phone.

SAGE Compassion for Animals

Provides financial assistance to pet guardians seeking veterinary care for immediate life-threatening injuries or illnesses. They do not cover initial exam fees or diagnostics. Serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties in California.

Santa Cruz SPCA

Financial assistance (grants up to $500, no dentals) for low-income seniors with dogs over six years old living in Santa Cruz County. Also sponsors two annual wellness days for free preventative care.

Saving Gracie

Diagnostics must be complete, estimate must be ready, pet must have a good prognosis with no pre-existing conditions, must have exhausted every resource including savings and credit cards.

Second Chances for Blind Dogs

Provides financial assistance for low-income guardians who have dogs who are blind, have impaired sight or are needing eye care including enucleations, cherry eye procedures and eye surgeries.

Waggle

Crowdfund up to $2,000 per case, pay directly to veterinarian.

Grief Support

National Pet Loss Grief Support Hotline

Toll free. (866) 266-8635. Monday-Thursday 7-9pm Pacific Time. Saturday 1-3pm Pacific Time. Messages can be left at other times and will be returned.

BirchBark Pet Loss and Grief Support Group

Pet loss can result in overwhelming feelings of grief, sadness, and loss. The BirchBark Foundation of Santa Cruz offers a safe and comforting place for pet families who are grieving the loss of their pet.

Life-enhancing Products for Senior Animals and Senior People

KittyKaddy

KittyKaddy™ pet bowls are designed to meet the demands of pet guardians with special needs. If you have difficulty bending or stooping down to pick up your dog's or cat's bowl, the KittyKaddy and K-9 Kaddy double diners can enhance your ability to care for your pet.

Lucky and Loyal

Custom orthopedic support for dogs. A unique two piece set that when used together will support (vest) and exercise (sleeves) the entire dog! Your dog will maintain muscle strength and will regain natural quadruped motion. Some special cases where the dog is truly struggling to get up require "severe weakness" sleeves. These anchor in different places. Also, some dogs have a very wide chest and need a wider vest and neck extenders are also available.

Ruffwear Harness

Originally designed for search-and-rescue organizations, the Web Master lets you assist your dog up and down in a variety of situations, and can also be used during rehabilitation. A generous ergonomic cut allows for a full range of motion, while still providing security.

Skid Safe

Use SKID SAFE to make your slippery floors highly slip resistant. Now you can dramatically reduce slip and fall hazards on slick/slippery floors, and the maintenance costs at the same time.

Toe Grips

ToeGrips are nonslip nail grips that provide instant traction through dogs' toenails. Designed for senior and special needs dogs, ToeGrips stop dog slipping on floors and stairs, including hardwood, laminate, and tile.

Pet Trusts

Clark Ruggiero Law Office

Will create a free pet trust for people leaving a dog to Peace of Mind Dog Rescue.

ASPCA - Pet Trusts

Frequently asked questions about pet trusts.

GoodRX

How to provide for a pet in a will or trust.

Professor Beyer - Estate Planning for Pets

Frequently asked questions about pet trusts.

2nd Chance for Pets

A nationwide organization which provides pet guardians, veterinarians, and members of animal care organizations with comprehensive information and lifetime care solutions to ensure care for companion animals. They provide access to valuable information that will assist you with arranging lifetime care for pets.

Senior Cat Rescues

Golden Oldies Cat Rescue

Golden Oldies Cat Rescue is a resource and advocate for older cats in Monterey County. They re-home cats who are at risk of euthanasia in shelters or whose guardians can no longer care for them. They place these cats, who have no other options of a safe place to go, into temporary foster care. Then find them permanent loving homes, enriching the lives of both the cats and their new families.

They promise a lifetime commitment to the cats in their care. They either will be adopted or will live out their lives in a foster homes.

Golden Oldies is led by a board who share a vision of helping older cats in Monterey County live out their remaining years in safe, secure and loving homes. They are all volunteer and 100 percent foster-based.

Senior Dog Rescues

Muttville

Muttville is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, based in San Francisco, CA dedicated to improving the lives of senior dogs. On a local level, Muttville rescues senior dogs and finds them new homes or gives them hospice. On a global level, Muttville provides information about caring for older dogs and support for people who do.

Old Dog Haven

OldDog Haven is a small nonprofit group, based in the state of Washington, using a large network of people to provide a loving safe home for abandoned senior dogs. Our goal is to provide a loving, safe home for senior dogs abandoned at this stage of their lives. When we have room, and the means, we take these dogs into our homes; if possible we adopt out those with a reasonable life-expectancy. We care for the rest as long as they have good quality of life. In addition, we try to assist owners in finding new homes for their senior dogs through our website and referrals.

Senior Dog Project

The Senior Dogs Project site presents a broad listing of various agencies that help to rehome senior dogs (over the age of five). You can find a dog to adopt or seek help in placing a dog through these agencies.

Tails of Gray

Tails of Gray is dedicated to saving the lives of innocent senior dogs left homeless for any reason, providing quality medical care and placing them into loving, responsible and permanent homes whenever possible.