Mainely Pets Foundation

The Mission of the foundation is to:

• Improve and extend pet care to people & animals in need.
• Strengthen the human-animal bond.
• Bring together people whose love of animals prompts them to find ways to help pets and people in difficult times.

What is this Foundation?

Mainely Pets Foundation is a charitable 501C non-profit entity founded in August of 2017 by the Partners and the staff of Falmouth Veterinary Hospital to help pets, pet owners and pet care givers in times of distress or need right here in Maine.

Who benefits from this Foundation?

Pets, pet owners and pet caregivers, or organizations  here in Maine who are experiencing trauma or financial need. Some cases will involve sick or injured pets, others may involve pet care givers experiencing a personal catastrophe such as a home or barn fire. Other requests may benefit the community as well as the recipient, such as service dog aid, or assistance with other agencies like humane societies or rescue groups.

See Recipients – Click Here

How do you decide who gets help?

An all-volunteer Finance/Disbursements Committee will review requests for aid as needs come to the Committee’s attention via email. The committee attempts to make timely decisions, but our volunteers are not always available to make decisions on disbursements on short notice.

Guidelines for funding:

• Pets receiving donations may have the potential for both quantity and quality of life
• The maximum percentage of the bill covered is not to exceed 50% with a cap of $500.00 for any medical service or procedure
• Awarded aid must be used within 90 days, unless arrangements made with the foundation 
• Financial need screening will be done by applying to Care Credit, or other third party credit agencies like Scratch Pay 
• Compassionate needs and charitable organizations may apply to the board with a proposal and be considered on a case by case basis
• Staff of Falmouth Veterinary Hospital, and members of the Foundation board are not eligible for funds
• Not for cremation services or products
• Pets and Charities must be in Maine
• Funds are directed to the care / cause not to an individual

How do I get involved?

There are LOTS of way you can be part of this exciting Foundation. Here are a few:

• Become a donor (We have a PayPal option for you here on this website, or if you prefer to donate in person, stop by the practice at 174 U.S. Route One in Falmouth and make a check out to “Mainely Pets Foundation.”
• Volunteer at an event [we’ll have various fund-raisers throughout the year]
• Volunteer to serve on a committee
• Share info & news of the Foundation with friends and neighbors
• Send us your great ideas on ways to help [Email:Mainelypetsfoundation@gmail.com]
• Post a message about us on your Facebook page to spread the word
• Buy a Memorial Brick for our new Pet Park
• Keep your eyes and ears open to area pets in crisis and alert us via our email above

Way To Donate

There are a number of ways to support Mainely Pets Foundation from memorializing a special pet of your own or a friend’s as gift to making a donation of money, stock or gifting from your Will

Gift for a Friend

You may buy a Memorial Brick for someone else’s pet by clicking the link below and following the prompts. You may also do a memorial credit card donation in a human or pet friend’s honor — simply make a note when you fill out the donation form so we can send you and them a notice of your gift.

Donate Funds

To give a donation with a credit card or from your PayPal account, simply click on the icons at the top of our Foundation page, just under the blue graphic boxes, and follow the prompts.

Donate Stock

At the request of a benefactor, we have set up an account at Vanguard to accept gifts from your stock portfolio. If you would like more information how to do so, please contact our Treasuer, Dr. Doug Andrews, at mainelypetsfoundation@gmail.com.

Add a Gift in Your Will

The following information is from Rocket Lawyer, an online legal resource you can use to add a Codicil to your Will or establish a Pet Trust for your pet.

Information needed to make a Codicil to a Will

If you only need to make a few changes to your Will, you can easily use this form to change or add provisions to your Last Will and Testament. Since many people with older existing Wills may not have included an executor for digital assets and pet provisions, we offer those with this form as well. It will help if you have a copy of the existing Will to make the changes correctly.

To complete the Will Amendment, you simply need to fill in the following information:

• Your name (the person the Will is for)
• Date of signing
• Name of Codicil (such as First or Second)
• Whether you want to delete a provision, delete and substitute a deletion or to add a new provision
• List which provisions will be added or changed
• Name of an executor to manage digital assets, if desired
• How you want your pets cared for, if applicable
• Names of the two or three witnesses

If you want to leave extensive instructions for how your pets will be cared for and funds for supporting your pets, you may also choose to create a Pet Trust.

Do Codicils to Wills have to be notarized?

A Codicil does not need to be notarized to be legal, but it does need to be witnessed. At the minimum, you’ll need two witnesses. Ideally, you’ll have three witnesses in case one is discredited if your Will and associated Codicils are challenged. Witnesses must be adults and of sound mind to qualify as viable witnesses. As an additional protection, you can add an Affidavit that states that the signee saw you sign the amendment to your Will. Witnesses also attest that you appeared to be of sound mind when you signed and that you were not under duress. Make sure you and your lawyer have copies of the changes to your Will.

Do I need a lawyer to change my Will?

If you only need to make a few changes, you can make the Codicil on your own and have your witnesses sign it as required to make it valid.