Purdue News
Purdue News
The owner arranges for an estate gift to be made to the school after the owner's death. Through its Peace of Mind program, the school will place the animal in another suitable home and provide medical care for the life of the pet at no cost to the new owner.
Estate gifts will be placed in an endowment, and the interest generated will go to the School of Veterinary Medicine to support educational programs and studies related to human-animal interaction.
The school is flexible on the type and number of animals it will accept and will negotiate the amount of money needed for each pet on a case-by-case basis, said Dr. Hugh B. Lewis, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. Typically, the estate gift has averaged about $25,000 per pet, he said.
"A recent survey showed that around 90 percent of people with pets view their animals as members of the family," Lewis said. "So owners are very concerned about what will happen to this 'family member' if it outlives them. Peace of Mind is a way for owners to provide for the future care of their pet and also to support the School of Veterinary Medicine."
CONTACTS: Lewis, (765) 494-7608; Internet, lewis@vet.purdue.edu
Kevin Doerr, School of Veterinary Medicine development director, (765) 494-8216; Internet, krd@vet.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
