Pet Trusts

Breahn Vokolek (Attorney, Patton and Associates) recently authored an article entitled America Gets What it Wants: Pet Trusts and a Future For Its Companion Animals, 76 UMKC  L. Rev. 1109 (2008).

Here is an excerpt from the Introduction:

Trusts are usually used as a vehicle for leaving one’s property to other people, often family members.  However, the vast coverage of Leona Helmsley leaving twelve million dollars to her white Maltese, Trouble, has made many aware of a different type of trust instrument – the pet trust.  The pet trust has earned wide acceptance despite its unique non-human and noncharitable nature and has been adopted relatively quickly compared to other types of trusts.  This comment reviews the history and characteristics of pet trusts to determine why they have been so widely recognized and to explore how the growth in their use and acceptance may be predictive of the development of trusts in the future.

For more information about pet trusts and related matters, see Estate Planning for Pet Owners.