Funeral directors may exercise discretion when they have a request to place personal objects such as the cremated remains of a pet in the owner’s coffin. “Not a day goes by when I do [not] put an urn of an animal into the casket of a human being secretly for a family,” Coleen Ellis, co-chair Death notices for pets Websites and publications such as newspapers and newsletters provide another opportunity to formally post or list a death notice to commemorate a pet or let people know when a memorial service will be held. More newspapers are including a pet obituary section near the pet section of the paper. Some publications and online sites allow individuals to post photos or articles about a beloved pet. The demand for pet obituaries, like that for funeral or memorial ceremonies, is growing. Newspapers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Tucson, Arizona; and Youngstown, Ohio, all have pet obituary sections. Many Trusts for long-term pet care The Uniform Probate Code (UPC) adopted by the 1990 National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws changed probate law to include a provision allowing for the care of a pet after the owners’ death. Section 2-907(b) allowed enforceable trusts for the care of a designated domestic animal and the animal's offspring. In 2000, the provision was updated, and Section 408 of the Uniform Trust Code (UTC) addressed a trust for any animal, authorizing persons with an interest in the welfare of the animal to petition for appointment or removal of an enforcer of the trust (Dickinson, 2017). Currently, 47 states have included UPC legal provisions or have adopted their own version of legislation for animal welfare trusts. A pet trust allows a person to set aside a sum of money to care for the pet and specifies the manner of distribution. Owners often include specific instructions regarding feeding, housing, and veterinary care. Mississippi adopted such a law in 2014, based on Section 408 of the UPC. Highlights of the law are included below (Trust for Care of Animal, 2017): ● A trust may be created to provide for the care of an animal that outlives the owner. The person who creates a trust designates a trustee to manage and administer all profits that would go to a beneficiary, in this case, the animal. The term settlors refers to the owner of the pet who set up the trust for the welfare of the pet. The trust Conclusion From home funerals, pet memorials, and resomation to apps and poses on motorcycles, the funeral industry is changing. Industry professionals must adapt to keep pace with the public’s demands. Innovation and creativity are required to find a niche in this industry depending on the customs and mores of the community served. To stay viable, the industry must remain on the cutting edge of technology to analyze emerging trends that will drive the products and services that must be offered to sustain business. The funeral industry must be ready to change course and be prepared to meet the diverse needs of clients without judgment while maintaining community standards and ethical practices.
of the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance (PLPA). "So, while it's been going on for a very long time, the trend is becoming more recognized where people are getting permission to do it" (Elderlaw, 2022).
pet loss centers and pet tribute sites make it easy to post information. There are also websites associated with memorializing pets. Many have no association with other death industry or funeral services but provide a location where pet owners can express grief openly for their pet. Web support groups also are associated with pet loss sites. At sites such as http://www.critters.com, pet owners and professionals can post a memorial, including text, photos, a slide show, and music, which are kept forever in an archive. Custom memorials include layout and design services as well as scanning and placement of photos, with increasing fees for more services. normally ends upon the death of the animal, or the trust may be written to provide for the care of more than one animal that is alive during the settlor's lifetime, upon the death of the last surviving animal. ● A trust may be enforced by a person appointed in the trust. If no one is named in the trust, a person may be appointed by the court. A person interested in the welfare of the animal may petition the court to appoint a person to enforce the trust or to remove the appointed person to protect the welfare of the animal. ● Property of a trust authorized by this section may be applied only to its intended use, except to the extent the court determines that the value of the trust property exceeds the amount required for the intended use. Unless otherwise provided in the trust, property not required for the intended use must be distributed to the settlor, if living, otherwise to the settlor's successors in interest. ● Some individuals donate any remaining property to a nonprofit animal welfare organization upon the pet’s death. Kentucky, Louisiana, and Minnesota are the only states that do not have laws authorizing pet trusts. As this is a complex area of the law, pet owners considering a trust for their animal should consult an attorney familiar with their state's pet trust law. Since no single business can accommodate all of the trends covered in this course, it might be productive to build a network of businesses that can specialize in certain areas and collaborate to provide complementary services. In this way, businesses can build on their expertise and work together to provide a variety of services in a geographic area while meeting diverse needs and keeping business in the local community.
WORKS CITED https://qr2.mobi/Funeral-Trends
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