Tyrades! Did you remember your pets in your will?

My bachelor Uncle Vernon refused to make out a last will and testament. Twenty-one years ago, he passed away unexpectedly.

That left his beloved (but decrepit) English Shepherd dog Fred in a pickle.

Luckily, my mother volunteered to adopt Fred and care for him in his final years.

Things haven’t always worked out that smoothly for pets. According to the Wall Street Journal, it has taken automated prompts by businesses such as Trust & Will (the online estate-planning service) to remind clueless pet owners that they may predecease their “fur babies.”

(Yes, historically, people have neglected ques...