Dogs and the trustee

[Exployer1234]

I swear the more I read on what is considered an approved expense I begin to question who makes these laws. Without getting into politics I just think somewhere laws need to change. Some people can not have children and animals replace that void in their life. No "pets" may not be human, but they are still living and breathing.

I used to do rescue and foster work. I have placed over 200 dogs in 12 years. Dogs in today's society have not been breed to fend for themselves in the wild. They are not considered "wild" creatures anymore and depend on humans to take care of them. Though none of us plan on filing BK, once we have to then the BK courts do not understand why we can not just give up our dogs to pay our creditors. I can only hope my trustee does not question my expense on my dogs. I don't think I can just listen to anyone blast me for having to spend money on them. I took on the responsibilty of owning them when I had the money and they were not sick then. It would be sad just to give them up because I lost my job and had to file BK. I mean can you imagine having to give up a dog you have owned for almost 12 years that is sick. That is a sick and twisted thing to have to do.

[catleg]

Remember that if you can't work out a reasonable plan with the trustee your fallback option, particularly if you are high income (and high expense) is to convert to a personal chapter 11. It's expensive compared to ch13, but ultimately the costs are borne by the unsecured creditors anyway.

[researchnerd]

...I was able to negotiate it to $30 flat per day for five days a week which adds up to $600 a month. It is what it is. Without this service I woudn't be able to work and make the money to pay the trustee. I am hoping that there won't be an issue either and am bracing myself for it by pulling up competitive pricing within the area so the trustee/ judge know that what I'm getting is a bargain and the lowest cost I can find in order to take care of my dog. And no, I can't afford to run home during my lunch to walk him or administer meds in the middle of the day. The way I see it, this is a necessary expense in order for me to keep my job so that the trustee can get paid!

Ummmm....no. While you may view your pet care service as a necessary expense, the trustee almost certainly will not. It is not required for you to keep your job, it's required for you to keep your dog. Think about it:

- Without your job, could you keep your dog? No.
- Without your dog, could you keep your job? Yes.

This is an important distinction -- the cost of this care for a non-service animal is beyond allowable limits. The IRS allows only $60/month for health care for people. I can't imagine that a trustee would approve 10x that amount for a dog without an incredibly compelling reason.

Please don't take this the wrong way - I have 2 dogs and 2 cats, all rescued. I love them dearly and would gladly cut back on other expenses in order to keep them. But if I could no longer afford to care for them, I'd have to find another family who could. While there is legal protection and assistance for people who can't afford child care, sadly it is not the same for pets. I highly recommend you find another way to account for these expenses so you can keep your pup.