Pet
Patriots, the press release
Pet Sitters International
and the Humane Society of Guilford County, NC, issued the following press
release in April 2003:
PET
PATRIOTS PROVIDE FOSTER CARE
FOR THE PETS
OF MILITARY PERSONNEL
For Immediate
Release
Contact:
Ellen Price (336) 983-9222 or e-mail ellen@petsit.com
KING, NC—Pet
Patriots, a program to assist pet-owning military personnel who have been
called to active duty, has been launched by Pet Sitters International (PSI)
and
the Humane Society of Guilford County, NC (HSOGC).
Many Americans
being called to active duty in the war against Iraq face a heartbreaking
decision when it comes to their beloved pets. When friends and family
are unable to provide help, these pets often turn up at local animal shelters
and humane societies. In the Piedmont Triad, however, Pet Patriots will
find foster care for the pet until the owner returns home from service.
Edward Cordick,
executive director of HSOGC, noted servicemen and women leaving pets at
his facility and was determined to do something about it. “These
soldiers are heading out to fight for our country, they shouldn’t have
to worry about what is happening to their pets,” he said. “So, together
with Pet Sitters International, we formed the Pet Patriots network.”
When a U.S. military
personnel member brings a pet to the Humane Society of Guilford County,
PSI will locate a foster family to care for the pet. During the time
the soldier is on active duty, Pet Patriots will provide services from
the Piedmont Wellness clinic, reduced-cost veterinary services and pet
food supplements for dogs and cats in the program.
“Pet sitters
are out working every day in the community and know who may be available—and
willing—to foster a pet,” noted Patti Moran, President of Pet Sitters International.
“Our members are dedicated to the welfare and happiness of their furred,
feathered and finned clients, and this program gives us a way to put that
dedication to good work!”
The program was
developed with the assistance of Los Angeles attorney Kenneth Phillips,
the author of Dog Bite Law (www.dogbitelaw.com). “Patriotic Pets has left
no stone unturned,” Phillips said, “including the legal details.” He added,
“Our service men and women can be assured that while they serve their country
their pets will be cared for.”
For more information
on Patriotic Pets, or to start a program in your community, contact Pet
Sitters International at (336) 983-9222 or e-mail info@petsit.com.
Service personnel in the Piedmont Triad who have been called to active
service and need assistance in finding foster homes for pets, contact the
Guilford County Humane Society at (336) 299-3060 or e-mail hsogc@hotmail.com.
# # # # #
Authorization
and Agreement for Temporary Care of Pet
The purpose of
this Authorization and Agreement is to provide temporary care for a pet,
confirm that the pet will be returned to the owner, and limit liability.
Therefore the parties agree that:
1. As used in this Agreement:
“Owner” shall
refer to _____________________________________________________ whose address
is ______________________________________________________________________________________________
.
“Pet” shall
refer to a __________ , named __________ , whose breed is __________ ,
age __________ years , and whose gender is __________ .
“Agency” shall
refer to _____________________________________________________ whose address
is ______________________________________________________________________________________________
. The "Agency" is the party that will take temporary care of the Pet until
it is placed with the Caregiver. If there is no "Agency" then the foregoing
line will be left blank.
“Finder” shall
refer to _____________________________________________________ whose address
is ______________________________________________________________________________________________
. The "Finder" is the party that will find a Caregiver for the Pet. If
there is no "Finder" then the foregoing line will be left blank.
“Caregiver”
shall refer to _____________________________________________________ whose
address is ______________________________________________________________________________________________
.
2. Agency and Finder (if any) agree to select,
and place Pet in the temporary care of, any Caregiver whom they reasonably
deem suitable to care for Pet as described herein, and shall notify Owner
of the name, address and telephone number of Caregiver. Otherwise, Agency
and Finder will have no liability to Owner except that which might arise
irrespective of this Authorization and Agreement. Even if there is no Agency,
Finder or either of them, this Authorization and Agreement shall be valid
and binding between or among the parties that sign it.
3. Caregiver agrees to care for Pet as provided
herein until it is returned to Owner, reply to Owner’s inquiries about
Pet, notify Owner of changes of address and telephone number of Caregiver,
and return Pet to Owner upon request. As used in this Authorization and
Agreement, “Care” shall include providing Pet with food, water and shelter,
giving reasonable attention to Pet’s health, safety and grooming, and attending
to the following special instructions:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
.
Otherwise, Caregiver
will have no liability to Owner except that which might arise irrespective
of this Authorization and Agreement.
4. Owner authorizes Caregiver to seek appropriate
veterinary medical treatment or attention on behalf of Pet as may be reasonably
required by the circumstances, including but not limited to examination,
preventative and/or curative treatment, x-ray, laboratory examination,
anesthetic, veterinary medicine diagnosis, and consultations (“Veterinary
Services”). Pet shall not be subjected to research or experimentation.
5. Owner authorizes Caregiver to make reasonable
decisions regarding Care and Veterinary Services, and consents to Caregiver’s
reasonable decisions, acts and omissions, including the risks thereof.
6. Owner authorizes the euthanasia of Pet if it
becomes gravely injured or ill, and a veterinarian recommends either euthanasia
or treatment costing in excess of $ __________ (if left blank, then the
amount shall be $1,000.00).
7. Owner agrees to reimburse Caregiver for Veterinary
Services, payment to be made in full within 12 months from the date that
Veterinary Services are rendered. Owner also agrees to pay the cost of
transporting Pet from Caretaker to Owner. Otherwise, Owner shall have no
financial obligation to Caretaker hereunder unless Owner specifically agrees
otherwise in a writing signed by Owner.
8. Owner shall remain the owner of Pet, and be
entitled to sole custody and possession of Pet at such time as Owner desires.
However, Owner shall not be entitled to interfere in providing Care to
Pet while in the custody of Caregiver.
9. Caretaker agrees that Owner shall not be liable
if Pet causes Caretaker to sustain injuries or losses, unless caused by
a dangerous propensity of Pet (whether known or unknown to Caretaker).
10. Owner represents that Pet has no known diseases that
can be transmitted to animals or humans, that no court or animal control
proceeding has adjudged Pet to be “dangerous” or “vicious,” that Pet has
never attacked and injured a human being, and that Pet has never been a
combatant in illegal dog fighting. If any of these representations are
untrue, then Caretaker shall have the right to terminate this Agreement
and Authorization. Upon being so notified, Owner shall have the duty to
take possession of Pet within 30 days. If Owner fails to do so within that
time, then Caretaker shall have the right to deliver Pet to an animal shelter
(not necessarily Shelter as defined above) for disposition at its discretion.
11. Owner agrees that, if Owner prevails in any claim,
upon any ground, against one or more parties hereto, then Owner’s recovery
from all the other parties combined shall be no greater than the fair market
value of Pet.
12. This Authorization and Agreement may be executed
prior to knowing who Caretaker may be. Therefore, execution by Caretaker
is not required until such time as Caretaker takes custody of Pet. In that
event, Caretaker shall mail Owner a fully signed copy hereof. A duplicate
of all notices from Caretaker to Owner shall be mailed to the following
person: ___________________________________________________________ , at
the following address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________
.
13. This Authorization and Agreement replaces all prior
authorizations and agreements. The terms hereof are not set by law and
are fully negotiable until it is signed. If any provision hereof is illegal
or unenforceable, it will not invalidate or make unenforceable the entire
Authorization and Agreement, but only the particular provision that is
illegal or unenforceable, and the remainder of the Authorization and Agreement
shall be enforced as if that particular provision had never been included
herein.
Dated: __________________________
________________________________
Shelter
________________________________
Owner
________________________________
Finder
________________________________
Caretaker
How
to fill out the document if your community does not have Pet Patriots
The current participants
are Pet Sitters International and the Humane Society of Guilford County,
NC. To establish the program in other areas, click
here to contact Pet Sitters International.
If your community
does not have a similar program, however, you are welcome to use the above
agreement. You may download it from this web page by copying and pasting.
That might require you to do a lot of editing, so that the printed version
will look correct. If you would like a word processor file containing the
document, send your request by E-mail to Kenneth
Phillips. There will be no charge for it.
After you print the
document, fill it in. Write "none" in the blank spaces for "Shelter"
and "Finder" if the soldier will place the pet directly into the hands
of the Caretaker.
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