Paw Prints & Wills….
Last month, we said goodbye to one of our Labrador Retrievers. Our sweet girl Roxy crossed the rainbow bridge at eleven years of age. Roxy joined our family when she was six when she was retired from her full-time job of breeding. Immediately she snuggled her way into our hearts; she had a magical, loving quality about her. Roxy and I quickly became inseparable; she was truly “my girl.”
After Roxy’s passing, I was cleaning up some of her items. Our other Lab, Milo was confused yet excited to receive all her old toys. Going through her items made me think about what things would look like if Roxy had a Will. Would I be her Executor? Would she have left her possessions to her biological son Milo? Or would she like to have donated some to the local humane society?
Since Roxy did not have an estate plan or any formal legal documents, my imagination took control, and I thought of everything Roxy should have considered for her stuffies, treats, and bones. Roxy was particular about her things. Was I handling them in the manner she would have liked?
Roxy died “intestate” in the legal world, which means she did not have a Will. By not having a Will, Roxy did not choose her Executor, the person who would manage her affairs. If we were to go by the Succession Law Reform Act, Roxy’s son Milo would manage her estate. However, there is one problem….Milo is not very reliable. He is more concerned with naps and treats than coordinating her final affairs. Luckily for both my dogs, my career is in administering estates, and after a lengthy discussion with Milo, we decided it was best that I take over the funeral plans and estate administration.
Even the most uncomplicated estate still needs direction, communication, and someone to carry out our last wishes.
I was now left trying to determine what to do with Roxy’s possessions without a Will. She had many stuffies, treats, bones, and of course…. clothing. Who would receive these items? Again, if we reference the Act, any children Roxy had would inherit. I had to consider the situation further; as I mentioned earlier, we adopted Roxy after retiring from breeding, so does this mean all her pups could have a claim on her estate? After some research, I determined that her puppies would not have a claim, as they were all legally adopted through the reputable CKC breeder, meaning there was proper paperwork in place. Luckily, we have one of her pups, which means her estate could go to a relative after all!
Since her son Milo would be the correct relative to receive these items, I now considered giving Milo everything. Did I give it to him all at once? Or could I spread out the toys over a year? Had Roxy prepared a Will, she could have directed us to hold some of these items in trust for Milo, as he is a typical Labrador and will eat everything immediately. However, there are no such provisions in place in the absence of a Will.
Writing this story about Roxy brings me a small smile as I miss her dearly, but I also hope that it brings a lighter approach to showing the importance of having a Will and preparing your estate plans and wishes. Even the most uncomplicated estate still needs direction, communication, and someone to carry out our last wishes.
RIP Roxy 2010-2022
