Adding Pets to Your Will
If you have pets, are a dog-mom, care for fur babies, raise horses, pigs, llamas or other outdoor animals, or keep fish or other aquarium-dwelling species, you may be wondering, “How can I add pets to my Will?” Read on for some options.
Who will take care of my pets?
The person who will take care of your pets is called the pet caretaker or pet guardian—or you can just think of them as the new owner of your pets. You can choose anyone you want! Just be sure they are willing to take on the task (a.k.a. ask them!), and let them know you will provide them with important pet care information and even funds to care for your pets (more on this below).
Of course, you want someone who will love your pets as much as you do! At a minimum, I suggest choosing someone who is likely to be willing and available when the time comes, who has the proper facilities to host an animal like yours, and who will hopefully be the pets’ new forever home. Let’s choose a primary pet caretaker, and a backup caretaker, in case your first-choice caretaker is not able to take it on.
How can I set aside money for my pets’ care?
Caring for pets involves time, attention, and money. You can set aside money for your pets in several different ways. The most straightforward way is to make a bequest of money in your will that will go to your pets’ caretaker. This is money that will go directly to them and they can use it how they see fit. If this is the method you choose, talk frankly with that person about your expectations for how the money is to be used. In your Will, we can describe your intent for the funds, such as paying for veterinary care, pet food, and boarding costs. However, after the caretaker receives the funds, they may not choose to spend it in the way you intended (on your pets!).
Another option is a pet trust, in which you set up a trust in your Will that gets funded with some money after your death. The good thing about a pet trust is that it is managed by a trustee in a fiduciary role, who must carry out your instructions as you’ve described them in the trust. The trustee can pay the veterinary office directly for medical care, buy pet food and medications, and pay training or boarding facilities directly with trust funds. This ensures that the money you’ve set aside for your pets is actually used for its intended purposes. That said, pet trusts have limitations. Humorously, they can only be established for non-human vertebrates (animals with a spine—no snail or jellyfish trusts allowed!). And, they can be costly to keep up, especially if you compensate the trustee for their time.
We can help you determine how much money to allocate for your pets—however, you know them best! Estimate lifetime costs for your pets by multiplying their expected lifespan by their annual expenses. Or, use a guide like this.
What if my pet will require specialty care?
For pet owners with exotic animals, large aquariums, or farm animals like horses, llamas, pigs, and goats, the choice of pet caretaker will be especially important, as will be documenting information related to the pets’ day-to-day care. Practically speaking, the Personal Representative in your Will is likely to be the person who first encounters your pets and must arrange for their short-term health and safety. Consider providing the Personal Representative in your Will with helpful resources (like this site with horse-care guidelines from the Humane Society) for knowing how to maintain a healthful environment for your pets until they can be transferred to the permanent pet caretaker.
You should also organize information about your pets such as their veterinarian, medications taken, diet, breed information, general habits, and any comfort supports that might make a transition to a new home easier.