Pet Trusts
Plan for their care, protect their future, and make sure the animals you love are provided for, no matter what comes next.
Planning for a Pet Is Part of Planning for the People You Love
Pets cannot inherit property directly. Florida law allows you to create a trust to provide for an animal’s care.
A pet trust can provide clear instructions about who will care for your pet, how money should be used for that care, and what should happen if circumstances change.
For many clients, the goal is simple: knowing that a trusted person, backed by a thoughtful plan and adequate resources, will be there to care for an animal who depends on them.
What a Pet Trust Can Do
A thoughtfully designed pet trust can address the practical questions that matter most.
Care & Responsibility
Name the person you want to care for your pet and provide instructions for daily care, veterinary treatment, housing, and other important needs.
Money for Their Care
Set aside funds for food, veterinary expenses, medications, grooming, boarding, and other costs throughout your pet’s life.
Oversight & Protection
Choose a trustee to manage the funds and help ensure that the money is used for your pet’s care as you intended.
What Happens Later
Decide where any remaining trust property should go after the trust ends
A Pet Trust Is More Than Leaving Money to Someone
Simply leaving money to the person who will care for your pet does not create the same structure or protection as a pet trust.
A properly designed trust can separate the responsibility for caring for the animal from the responsibility for managing the money. It can also provide instructions, identify backup caregivers, address unexpected circumstances, and specify what happens to funds that remain after the trust ends.
The right approach depends on your pet, your family, the assets involved, and how much control and flexibility you want the plan to provide.
Florida Law Specifically Recognizes Pet Trusts
Florida law allows a trust to be created for the care of an animal alive during the person’s lifetime. The trust may continue until the death of the last surviving animal covered by the trust.
The law also permits a person appointed in the trust, or in certain circumstances another person appointed by the court, to enforce the trust and help ensure that its terms are carried out.
A carefully prepared plan can coordinate the trust with your will or other estate planning documents so that both your pet and the resources intended for its care are addressed.
Florida Statutes § 736.0408
Ready to Plan for Their Future?
Planning for a pet’s future can provide reassurance that the animal you love will be cared for according to your wishes, even when you can no longer provide that care yourself.
Schedule a consultation to discuss practical options for protecting your pet and providing for their future care.
Looking at your broader estate plan? Explore Estate Planning →