Pet Trust Planning for Upland Animal Owners

Choose the caregiver before settling the plan

Begin by identifying a person who is willing and able to care for the animal. Discuss the responsibility with that person rather than assuming they can take it on. Consider whether the arrangement still makes sense if your preferred caregiver is unavailable when the plan is needed.

California law provides for trusts for the care of a living animal. A pet trust can identify its animal-care purpose and the people and resources involved. The caregiver and the trustee have different roles: the caregiver looks after the animal, while the trustee manages trust resources. A separate person may be designated or appointed to enforce the trust’s purpose.

• Name a preferred caregiver and consider an alternative if that person cannot serve.
• Think through who would manage resources and who could oversee whether the care purpose is being followed.
• Discuss the proposed roles with the people you have in mind before documenting your choices.

Make instructions concrete with an animal-care record

A useful care record turns general hopes into information a caregiver can use. Gather the animal’s identifying details, daily routine, feeding preferences, known sensitivities, and the contact information for people already involved in the animal’s care. These are practical preparation ideas, not legal requirements or veterinary advice.

Describe what continuity of care means to you. For example, you might want a caregiver to know which familiar routines matter most or where to find current care information. Keep the record easy to update as an animal’s needs or your preferred caregiver changes.

• Record each animal’s name, identifying details and current routine.
• Collect existing care instructions and relevant contact information.
• Write down preferences for the transition to a new caregiver and how updates to the record will be made.

Connect the people, resources and oversight

Consider what resources should be available for the animal’s care and who would manage them. Then consider how the caregiver and trustee would communicate, and who could raise a concern if the arrangement is not serving the stated purpose. California’s framework distinguishes the trustee from a person designated or appointed to enforce the trust purpose; planning these roles separately can clarify who is responsible for each part of the arrangement.

Resources and instructions should relate to the care purpose you want the trust to serve. The plan should not depend on an unclear assumption that the caregiver will also manage the resources or monitor the arrangement. A pet trust is a planning tool, not a guarantee that a particular person will be available or that every desired outcome will occur.

• Identify what resources are intended to support the animal’s care.
• Decide who would manage those resources and who would oversee the stated purpose.
• Discuss how the caregiver, trustee and oversight person would share relevant information.

Prepare for a focused planning conversation

Bring your proposed caregiver’s name, any alternative, your animal-care record, and your initial thoughts about resource management and oversight. These details make it easier to discuss how the proposed arrangement can reflect the animal’s needs and your priorities. Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. offers virtual services throughout California from its Novato office.

A practical next step is to ask the proposed caregiver whether they are willing to take on the role, then organize the care information you already maintain. The plan can be discussed with those concrete choices in view.