If your pets outlive you, have you provided for them?(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Ryan Mallory

FORT WAYNE, Ind. _There's only one thing that scares animal lovers more than the thought of their pet dying _ and that's the thought of their pet surviving them.

Who'll fill up the Milk Bone jar? Who'll schedule the vet appointments? Who'll administer the heartworm pills, apply the flea powder, clip the toenails? Who'll kiss Mr. Fuzzywuzzy on the nosey-wosey when I'm gone?

Apparently, it's a common concern. More than a dozen states, in fact, have adopted the Uniform Trust Act of 2000-2001, which recognizes the interests of companion animals in civil law. In 2001, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., introduced the Morgan Bill, named after his collie, in Congress; the federal bill would make it easier for pet owners to create trust funds for their animals. The Morgan Bill has gone to the Ways and Means Committee but has not been acted on.

And several celebrities, including deceased singer Dusty Springfield and living actress Betty White, have pushed the issue into the spotlight by setting aside thousands of dollars for the future care of their pets.

Just a decade ago, though, most owners and their pets took their chances in this lottery called life. Pets were considered property and, therefore, without rights. Their owners were labeled loopy if they wanted to remember their dog, cat or pot-bellied pig in their last will and testament. And, frequently, their attempts to provide financially for their beloved animals were thwarted by greedy beneficiaries, courts and lack of precedent.

As eccentric as it seems, many average Americans are concerned _ and legitimately so _ about their animals' future well-being, Fort Wayne attorney George Martin says.