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Making Sure Your Pets are Cared For

By Gerry W. Beyer

Elderly woman with dog Are you concerned about who will care for your pets should they outlive you? To prepare for your pets’ lives after you’re gone, you could:

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      • Make an informal arrangement with a trusted friend, family member, or neighbor to assume care of your pets. It’s a good idea to also provide financial help to this person, ideally in a will or trust. Many organizations, such as the SPCA, have “guardian care” programs if you don’t have a specific person in mind.
      • Create a pet trust, naming a trustee to care for your pet. This option provides more assurance and supervision over your pets’ long-term care, but it is more expensive.
      • Donate to a program such as the TLC for Pets Program at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. Such programs allow pet owners to provide for an adoptive home and veterinary care for their pets.

See Claudia Buck, Personal Finance: Legal Trusts Provide for Pets After Owner Dies, The Sacramento Bee, Oct. 31, 2010. For more information on planning for your pets, see Gerry W. Beyer & Barry Seltzer, Fat Cats & Lucky Dogs – How to Leave (Some of) Your Estate to Your Pets (2010).

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this to my attention.

Posted in:
Estate Planning - Generally and Trusts