Surviving Pet Care Program

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Safe Haven Surviving Pet Care Program®

Safe HavenWho will care for your pets if you can no longer care for them?

Our Solution:

The Safe Haven Surviving Pet Care Program®

Many supporters have found peace of mind with North Shore Animal League America’s Safe Haven Surviving Pet Care Program. It is a popular way to ensure long-term health and happiness for your faithful companions.

Nationwide enrollment can be funded with a gift through your estate plan. If the need should arise, we will arrange for transportation for your pets to our Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Canine Adoption Center or our Bianca’s Furry Friends Feline Adoption Center and care for them as long as it takes to find a responsible, loving home. Enrollment funded with an estate gift ensures that your pet(s) will immediately be taken into our care in the event of your death or incapacity.

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Questions and Answers:

Are all pets eligible to enroll in this program? +

This program is open to dogs and cats. The maximum number of pets enrolled per household is 6.

What happens to my pet if they need to come in under this program? +

When your pet(s) arrive at North Shore Animal League America, they will receive plenty of love, exercise, and play group activity from our dedicated associates and volunteers. Veterinary care will be provided through our Pet Health Centers, accredited by the prestigious American Animal Hospital Association. Your pet’s temporary home also consists of a state-of-the-art Adoption Center including cage-free living for felines, a grooming facility, the LaRocca Dog Park, comfortable indoor and outdoor dog runs, among other pet-care areas.

How is a new home chosen for my pet? +

North Shore Animal League America is known for having very high standards in choosing adoptive homes for each and every homeless dog and cat in our care. We have an extensive application process that includes reference checks and follow-up quality care home visits. We also have many loving foster care homes where your pets may live out their life.

How do I enroll in this program? +

Contact the Gift Planning Department to discuss how you can enroll your pets. Typically enrollment is funded with a gift from your will or trust or by naming North Shore Animal League America as a beneficiary of one of the following types of accounts: retirement account, life insurance, brokerage account, bank account, or donor advised fund.

Is this program right for all pets? +

We will work with you to determine whether this program is a good solution for your pets. North Shore Animal League America reserves the right not to accept any pet into this program who exhibits extreme aggressive behavior or are deemed feral and not able to be handled for the safety of our associates, volunteers, and visitors.

How would my pet(s) be safely transported to North Shore Animal League America? +

The Safe Haven Surviving Pet Care Program is a national program and as such the costs associated with safely transporting your pets to our Adoption Center can vary. For this reason, the transportation costs are separate from the standard enrollment fees. We can assist your interim pet’s caregiver with the arrangements, and recommend that you take the costs of pet transportation into account when deciding how to fund your enrollment.

Next Steps

  1. Contact Debbie Hibbard at 516-812-7218 or debbieh@animalleague.org to discuss how you can enroll your pets into the Safe Haven Surviving Pet Care Program.
  2. Talk to your financial or legal advisor to learn which assets would be best to fund your planned gift and enroll your pets into this program. We can provide suggested language to share with your attorney.
  3. If you name Animal League America in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal name: North Shore Animal League America, Inc.
Legal address: 16 Lewyt Street, Port Washington, NY 11050
Federal tax ID number: 11-1666852

Not Sure How to Begin Planning?

Download our FREE Personal Estate Planning Kit

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to North Shore Animal League America a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

I give to North Shore Animal League America, Inc., Federal I.D. No. 11-1666852, 16 Lewyt Street, Port Washington, NY 11050, (the sum of $______) (all or ___ % of the residue of my estate/trust), to be used for its general purposes.

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to Animal League America or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to Animal League America as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to Animal League America as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and Animal League America where you agree to make a gift to Animal League America and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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