While you may be planning to outlive your pets, what if something 
were to happen to you? Would Fido and Fluffy be provided for in 
the event of your untimley death or if you became incapacitated? 
Here's how you can insure that your pets get the proper care in 
the event that you're not able to give it to them.

According to a recent New York Times article, "leaving money to 
your pet became legally possible in 1990 when a section 
validating trusts for domestic animals was added to the Uniform 
Probate Code" which governs these types of matters.  And laws in 
27 states now allow pet owners to set up trusts for their pets to 
pay for their care should you die or become incapacitated. And 
more states, including Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, 
Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas, all have pet trust legislation 
pending.

A trust for your pet is really no different than a trust for your 
children.  It basically is a legal document that is tied to a sum 
of money set aside in a bank account with a trustee named to 
manage the account on behalf of the person establishing the 
trust.

For instance, my wife and I both have insurance trusts set up to 
benefit our son in the event of our becoming incapacitated or 
deaths.  My wife is the executor of my trust as well as the 
primary beneficiary and I'm the executor and beneficiary of her 
trust with our son the secondary beneficiary of both trusts.  In 
the event that something were to happen to both my wife and I at 
the same time, my sister and my wife's brother have been named as 
co-executors.  They have explicit instructions spelled out within 
the trust on how we want our insurance policies disbursed to each 
other or to our son.

Same with pets.

The NY Times article went on to report that unless specific 
instructions are left in a will or with other family members, 
pets are often given up or displaced with nearly 500,000 pets 
killed in shelters and vet offices each year after their owners 
die and the pets become abandoned.

Setting up a trust fund can cost a few hundred dollars or even a 
lot less if you do it at the same time that you draw up a regular 
will.  And speaking of wills, yes, you can provide for the care 
of your pets in a regular will but that only kicks in upon your 
death and not if you're seriously ill or incapacitated.  And 
experts also caution not to leave excessive amounts of money to 
pets that may cause challenges from other heirs.  If you want 
your pet to continue living in the style it's accustomed to, 
$5,000 - $10,000 per animal should suffice.  Some people leave 
more and some less.  It's entirely up to you.

The Humane Society of the United States offers a free kit that 
helps you evaluate your pets' future without you.  It includes a 
six-page fact sheet, caregiver forms and more.  You can contact 
them at 202.452.1100 or via email at 
mailto:petsinwillsrp@hsus.org 

Written by Gene R. Sower
Owner
Lucy The Wonder Dog, LLC
http://www.lucythewonderdog.com
Publisher of the DOG BYTES Newsletter
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too!)" Get your complimentary subscription to DOG BYTES here:
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