1. A Home for Pets When Their Owners Are Gone
Now that Jim Swaim is in his 60s, he and his wife are asking a very modern question about mortality:
Who will care for our pets when we are gone?
That concern prompted the couple from Fort Worth, who have no children, to reserve spots for their
four cats and a dog at a retirement home for pets, the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care
Center at Texas AM University.
"Each of our pets has its own personality; they are part of our family and give us joy," said Mr.
Swaim's wife, Debra Parchman-Swaim. "We needed to make sure they would always be taken care
of."
Established in 1993 at what is now the Texas AM College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical
Sciences, the Stevenson Center is home to 34 animals, with 510 enrolled to enter the center in the
future. These include dogs, cats, birds, horses, donkeys, a rabbit and even a llama.
In addition to a $1,000 to $2,000 enrollment fee per pet, an endowment is required that can range
from $50,000 to $210,000 depending upon the owner's age at the time of enrollment and the species
being enrolled. The younger the owner, the higher the cost. A replacement pet can be substituted
upon the loss of an enrolled pet as long as the owner is alive.
"Fifty years ago, a center like ours would not have existed," said its director, Dr. Henry L. Presnal.
"But with the strengthening of the human-animal bond, the rise of childless couples and older people
who do not live with their children, this is becoming an attractive option."
Still, the center is a rarity. Only a handful of other pet
retirement homes are scattered across the United States.
There are others n Britain and Japan.
Dr. Presnal said about 90 percent of pets arrive at the
center upon the owner's death. No grief counseling is
required. "You would be amazed at how quickly they adjust
to the environment," he said.
