We had an unsettling occurrence
at our current r.v. park that gave us a lot to think about. A 63
year old man named Gary died shortly after being taken to the hospital. He left two cats behind in his motor coach. A friend within the park cared for the cats
in Gary’s r.v. and the manager allowed the r.v. to remain on its lot with the
air conditioning running for the cats.
The park manager is a major animal lover and went to great measures on
behalf of the cats, but this may not be the case with all r.v. park owners and
managers. Gary’s friend had a key to the
r.v.. I don’t know how he came to have
one, but it got me thinking that someone should have access to our rig, especially
since we have pets. The r.v. park
manager once told me that she likes to see residents at least every couple of
days, as she has had people pass away at the park before. It made me think how cool it is that she checks
on people, but also made me aware of the need to be seen in parks that don’t
make a routine of checking. I think this
is especially true, if you live with pets.
We are traveling with two dogs and two cats! Gary had a few casual friends in the park,
but for the most part stayed to himself.
They knew little about him and that stood out, as point number 1: In an r.v. park, we are likely to be with
people who know nothing of our personal business regarding Wills and next of
kin! The park manager looked through
Gary’s r.v. for a Will. She commented
that she didn’t see anything that looked like a box that would contain a Will. That stood out as point 2: Have your Will or an informal written
directive with who to contact in the event of your death in a location easy to
find. In Gary’s case, the best the
manager could do was to start calling numbers on his cell phone. He did not have next of kin that could be
located, so his vehicle, the r.v., and its contents including the cats became
property of the probate court system. A
few weeks went by with the r.v. still at the r.v. park and Gary’s friend caring
for the cats. The manager called all the
area animal shelters and Gary’s friend personally visited vets offices,
shelters, and even a pet supply store looking for leads on a placement for the
cats. Both people were turned away, due
the shelters Summer overload. It was
looking like the cats would be euthanized.
A resident animal lover within the park managed to get an opening within
a no-kill shelter, but by that time the representative from the court was
involved and the park manager felt she had to acquiesce the decision regarding
the cats to the court representative. In
this case, the court representative was an animal lover and had made
arrangements with another shelter to take the cats. Although the shelter had a questionable
reputation, the manager was told the cats wouldn’t be euthanized. The park resident that had found the first
shelter opening made a point to get the cat’s vet records to help prove the
distraught cats were indeed house pets and not feral. By this time the park owner and manager were
ready to have the cats gone, even if it meant euthanizing them, as leaving the
r.v. in a rentable lot with air conditioning running was costing the park
money. I have to give the management at
Trails End R.V. Park in Camp Verde, AZ credit for going above and beyond on
behalf of Gary’s cats, but I don’t assume that this would be the norm for all
parks. A Will or informal directive
including contacts and information about your wishes for your pets should be
placed in your r.v. in a location easily seen.
Your contact person should also have a copy of your written directive. I’m still baffled by the financial end of
making final arrangements for pets, but a friend suggested the primary contact
could pay by credit card from across the country to carry out one’s wishes.
Another issue to consider
is identification in your wallet to be attached to your driver’s license. Since, as a full time RVer the address on
your drivers license most likely isn’t where you are located, a card should be
made up that lists the RV Park you are staying in, a contact number for the
park office, a contact number for a family member, and a notation as to the
pets you have traveling with you. On
longer RV Park stays I have decided I’ll ask the office about keeping a key to
our rig during our stay, as well as, provide them with a contact’s information. None of us want to think about such
unpleasantness, but as travelers living amongst strangers it would be wise for
us to have at a minimum current identification information on us, emergency
access to our rigs, and an informal directive including contacts placed where
it can be easily found.
In regards to Wills I’ve
done some minimal research and it appears that creating a basic Will isn’t as
complicated as I had assumed. We plan to
put something together with the idea that something is better than nothing in
making our wishes known. Here are some
tidbits of advice I picked up:
1.
A totally handwritten
Will is legal, as long as it is clear that it is a Will.
2.
A Will should be all
handwritten or all typed. No mixing of
the two!
3.
Generally spouses have
their own wills that mirror each other.
4.
A Will requires two
witnesses to your signature.
5.
Wills do not have to
be notorized.
6.
Wills can be signed
and witnessed in a state other than your residency.
Best Wishes
