Woman leaves entire $1.2m estate to help beloved cats and dogs

Mark Molloy 29 December 2016 • 1:58pm

A pet lover has bequeathed her entire $1.2 million (£980,000) estate to help cats and dogs in Tennessee.

Pet lover Glenda Taylor DeLawder, who died in November 2015, left the “tremendous gift of love” for the Elizabethto Animal Shelter in Carter County.

The administrators looking after her estate bestowed a gift of $540,000 (£440,000) to the animal shelter before Christmas.

Leon Humphrey, Carter County Mayor, said the shelter was “truly blessed and honoured to be given such a tremendous gift”.

He added it was “one of the largest private gifts ever given” to the county for its citizens.

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“Mrs DeLawder’s family asked me to share with you that she loved her cats and dogs so very much and wanted her love and care of them to be her everlasting gift,” the mayor said in a statement.

“I think Mrs DeLawder would be very pleased that her gift will be able to provide for future cats and dogs at the shelter for as long as the shelter exists.

“I want to personally thank Mrs DeLawder and her family for their gift.”

He added the funds would be used to expand the shelter’s dog and cat holding areas, to purchase a van to transport the shelter’s cats and dogs to off-site adoption events and bring them to spay and neuter clinics.