Pet Trust Planning for Larkspur Animal Care

Describe the animal and the care you want arranged

Begin with a practical picture of the animal’s life. Note the animal’s name, type, identifying details, current living arrangement and ordinary routines. You might also write down preferences about feeding, exercise, handling or familiar surroundings that you would want a prospective caregiver to understand. These are optional preparation notes, not veterinary directions.

California Probate Code provides for trusts for the care of a living animal. As you gather information, consider how the people and resources you have in mind would relate to that animal-care purpose. If you have questions about diagnosis, treatment or medical needs, those are matters to discuss with a veterinary professional.

• An identifying description or current photograph, if useful.
• A brief account of routines and preferences you want considered.
• Names of people already involved in the animal’s care, if applicable.

Think through a caregiver and other roles

Make a list of people you may want to discuss as caregivers. Consider whether each person is willing, available and a practical fit for the animal’s routine. You can note questions about the person’s living situation, availability or familiarity with the animal without deciding everything before the consultation. If you have another possible caregiver in mind, record that person too.

A caregiver, trustee and person designated or appointed to oversee the trust’s purpose may represent distinct roles. Think about who you might consider for each responsibility and whether one person or different people seem appropriate to discuss. The point of collecting names is to clarify your preferences and questions, not to assume that a particular person has agreed or that roles must be combined.

• Names and contact information for potential caregivers.
• Whether you have spoken with them about the possibility.
• People you may want to discuss for trustee or oversight roles.

List resources and instructions for discussion

Gather a general list of resources you may want considered for the animal’s care. You do not need to calculate future care expenses or settle on a funding arrangement in advance. Instead, note what resources you have in mind and what questions you want to ask about connecting them with the care purpose.

Write down instructions that reflect your priorities. For example, you could note a routine you hope a caregiver will maintain, a change in circumstances you want considered, or people you would like contacted. Keep the distinction between your preferences and veterinary guidance clear. Bring questions about how instructions, resources and oversight could fit together in the proposed arrangement.

• A list of resources you are considering, without needing to estimate costs.
• Care preferences and the circumstances in which they matter to you.
• Questions about how your intended instructions and oversight could be expressed.

Use the consultation to resolve open questions

Before meeting remotely, put your notes together and mark anything unsettled: a caregiver who has not yet agreed, uncertainty about who should oversee the purpose, or questions about what resources to consider. You do not need to resolve those issues alone beforehand. They can help focus the conversation on whether the proposed people, resources and instructions form a coherent plan for the animal’s care.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. serves Larkspur clients virtually and has its in-person office in Novato. A trust arrangement does not guarantee a particular enforcement outcome. Bring practical questions about how you want the plan to operate and what role each person may have, so the discussion can address your priorities and uncertainties.