Who will take your pet when you die? Special rescues help ailing owners find their companions’ next home.

NEW YORK — Who will take your pet when you die?

The question often doesn’t have an easy answer, especially for ill or older people headed to residential nursing care or assisted living. During the pandemic, specialized rescue, advocacy and adoption services run by volunteers are trying to fill the void, one pet at a time.

Leaders in the small movement said the past couple of years have opened the eyes of many.

“The thing about COVID is a lot of people are thinking, I can’t be guaranteed to be around forever. A lot more people are trying to make plans in advance, which is the best thing to do because unfortunately, a lot of people wait until they’re in hospice or there’s a desperate situation,” said Amy Shever, founder and director of 2nd Chance 4 Pets in suburban Sacramento, California.

The number of pets surrendered to shelters due to caretaker health or death is up from 7.3% in 2009 to 10.2% during the pandemic, according to the Best Friends Network of thousands of public and private shelters, rescue groups and other animal welfare organizations in all 50 states.

The pets of seniors are often seniors themselves, languishing in shelters or the first to be euthanized after they’re declared unadoptable, Shever said. They’re routinely given up by relatives who can’t take in a dog or cat. The life spans of other pets, such as parrots, are far longer, which sometimes scares off loved ones.

Shever’s focus is educating veterinarians and shelters on how they can get involved. Her organization also tries to help pet owners in need of direction. She urges owners to identify a committed caregiver, provide written instructions for a pet’s routine and put a financial plan in place. Her group has distributed thousands of emergency-card door hangers, for instance, to pet food banks and animal welfare organizations so owners can make their wishes known.

Another organization, Pet Peace of Mind, works directly with about 250 hospices around the country to provide and train volunteers who care for pets of the seriously and terminally ill, said Dianne McGill, the president and founder in Salem, Oregon. Most of the hospices are providing home services, where pets are often giving comfort and support.

“These specialty volunteers bring pet care knowledge with them so they can do whatever is needed to help,” she said. “So they’re walking, feeding, playing, cleaning up or helping to arrange a plan for rehoming.”

While providing pet care or adoption services often isn’t top of mind for social workers or nurses, it’s a huge emotional driving force for patients and loved ones living far away, McGill said.

“Care workers hear about the issues from family members,” she said. “They say, my mom is really, really upset about what’s going to happen to her pet. I live out of state. I can’t help her. How do we get some pet care in place while she’s navigating her end-of-life journey or when she passes?”