Pet Trust Planning for Loma Linda Residents

Start with the animal’s needs and your care priorities

Write down the animal’s identity and the care routine you want continued. Include practical details such as feeding preferences, daily routines, and the names and contact information of veterinary providers, if known. These details help explain the animal-care purpose you want the proposed arrangement to serve.

A California trust may be established for the care of a living animal. The arrangement should identify its animal-care purpose and the people and resources involved. Your notes can help make those choices concrete for discussion; they are planning information, not veterinary advice.

Consider who would provide care and who would oversee the purpose

Make a list of possible caregivers and note whom you would want to approach first. Consider whether each person knows the animal and is willing and practically able to take on the role. These are useful questions for your planning conversation, not legal qualifications imposed by this page.

A pet-trust plan distinguishes the trustee from a person designated or appointed to enforce the trust’s purpose. Think about who you would propose for each role and how you envision their responsibilities working together. The proposed caregiver, trustee, and enforcement role are planning choices to discuss; the roles should not be treated as interchangeable.

• Possible caregiver and an alternate, with contact details and your understanding of their willingness.
• A proposed trustee and a separate person you would want to designate to oversee the animal-care purpose.
• Any practical concerns about how the caregiver, trustee, and oversight role could coordinate.

Gather information about resources and instructions

Prepare an inventory of resources you are considering making available for care, along with any relevant account or asset information you want to discuss. Describe the care instructions those resources would support. The trust framework involves people and resources connected to the animal-care purpose; the appropriate arrangement depends on the plan being considered.

Do not assume that a particular amount or funding approach is appropriate. Instead, bring your own proposed resources and questions about how they might relate to the care you want. You can also flag instructions that may need clarification, such as what should happen if your preferred caregiver cannot serve.

• A concise care outline and any written instructions you already use.
• A list of resources you may want to discuss, without assuming a specific funding amount.
• Questions about backup caregiving, coordination, and oversight.

Use the remote consultation to clarify the plan

Before the meeting, gather the animal’s identifying details, care notes, proposed caregiver and alternate, possible trustee and oversight person, and the resources you are considering. Mark decisions that are firm separately from those you want help thinking through. This makes it easier to use the consultation to identify open questions and discuss how the proposed roles and resources fit the animal-care purpose.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. offers virtual services statewide from its Novato office. A planning conversation can address the arrangement you are considering, but no particular enforcement outcome is guaranteed. Bring questions about how the proposed plan should address changes in caregivers, resources, or the animal’s circumstances.