We love our pets. We groom them, bathe them, feed them, make sure they have plenty of exercise, recreation, and relaxation (as if that’s necessary). Last year alone $60 billion was spent on pet care in the United States. In modern America, Fluffy and Fido are part of the family. But when it comes to estate planning, our beloved, furry family members are often left out in the cold. Animals have the status of property under the law, and under most wills, are lumped together with personal property.

In this time of new beginnings, as the New Year unfolds, many of us are implementing our New Year’s resolutions, or at least thinking about it. You look forward to a fresh new start, thinking about all of the things you want to accomplish in 2014, the places you want to go, and the relationships you want to improve, the ways you can make your life better, richer and fuller. A lawyer can help you do that. Really? Aren’t lawyers for when things go wrong in your life? Don’t you just need a lawyer to clean up messes and solve problems?