Our furry friends are often core parts of our lives and our family, yet most people don’t include them in their estate planning process. Whether planning for their care during an absence, incapacitation or after your death, at Field Law our experienced Baton Rouge pet trust attorney can guide you through including your pets in your estate plan.
One of the most common requests we get from clients concerning their pets is a pet trust. A Louisiana pet trust allows you to set aside assets to be used for the care of your pets, designate someone to manage the assets, someone to provide physical care of your pets and craft care instructions based on your pet’s needs.
A pet trust ensures money or resources you leave behind for your pets actually is used for their care. After an owner has passed, we often see bequests of money and pets being made to someone where the owner assumes the money can and will be used only for the animal’s care. But there is no guarantee the pets won’t end up in a shelter or that the money won’t be used for something else.
A pet trust is usually included in your Last Will and Testament or Probate Avoidance Trust and does not become effective until you pass away.
We encourage our clients with pets to think about them while planning their General Mandate (called power of attorney in other states). Animals are treated as property under many of our laws and your agent under a general mandate would be charged with their care when you are absent or if you become incapacitated. But too often an owner’s wishes for their care are not mentioned in their mandate.
Protect your pets by working with your Field Law estate planning attorney to ensure your furry friends have the care they need during your absence or incapacity.
Field Law is based in Baton Rouge, but we serve clients throughout Louisiana. We are also pleased to work with clients outside the state on matters related to Louisiana estate law and successions. To arrange a free consultation, call us at 225-341-5270 , or get started.