When hotel heiress and billionaire Leona Helmsley died in 2007, her pet Maltese, Trouble, became the beneficiary of a $12 million pet trust that Helmsley had established as part of her estate plan. Mrs. Helmsley cared very deeply for her animal companion. Although she left money in her will for Trouble, she failed to secure a legally enforceable pet trust to ensure that her beloved Trouble would be provided for even after her death.

Most pet owners won’t have the resources available to provide for their pets to the extent that Mrs. Helmsley did. In fact, according to Lawyers Weekly USA, the average amount left to pets is closer to $25,000. But, like Mrs. Helmsley, most pet owners are concerned about providing long-term care for their pets, and want to make sure that their wishes are carried out in the event of their death or disability.

As a pet owner in California, you can create a pet trust that will provide for the care of your “beloved pet” when you are no longer able to care for the pet yourself. Pet trusts are more secure than simply leaving money in your will, and provide specific instruction for the caretaker and beneficiary of the trust. To begin planning for the care of your pet, you should identify a family member or friend who you would trust to care for your pet and who would be willing to provide for the animal’s care. A pet trust allows you to designate this trusted person as your pet’s trustee. In California, your trustee will be legally obligated to make arrangements for the proper care of your pet, according to your instruction. They will also hold the money and/or property that you transfer to the trust for the benefit of the pet. In addition to the pet’s trustee, you may also designate a caregiver, or beneficiary, who will be responsible for caring for the pet over the lifespan of the animal.

Because California pet trusts are legally enforceable arrangements, as a pet owner, you can be assured that the instruction you provide regarding your pet’s care will be carried out. A trust can be very specific, so it is important to discuss your pet’s health needs, care, and routine with your designated caregiver. For example, if your cat is allergic to a particular brand of food, or your dog needs to be bathed once a week, this can be specified in the trust agreement.

As a pet owner, you know your pet’s particular habits and needs better than anyone else. With a pet trust, you can describe the kind of care your pet should have, and you can list the trusted people who would be willing to provide that care. If you are a pet owner who wants to establish a pet trust, or otherwise provide long-term care for your pet, a qualified estate planning attorney who has experience creating pet trusts in California will be able to help you understand your pet trust planning options, and will be able to assist you in designing a pet trust that meets your needs and those of your pets.



Thanks to Kevin Von Tungeln for contributing this article to our Pets blog:

Pet Tips

Bad dog breath can be a bad problem for your dog and you, at times a dogs breath an be unbearable and make bonding with your dog a chore you’d rather avoid at all costs. This may not be due to your dog and more down to the care you have not realized that your dog should have.

Dog’s bad breath like most other dog symptoms can be the cause of many different issues separately or together, this makes the cause hard to diagnose without a proper examination from a professional dog carer or vet.

Common causes of dog bad breathe –

Maybe your dog is finding it hard to eat or swallow which can lead to dog’s bad breath and other illnesses that are related.

Saliva drooling from your dog’s mouth may also be a cause of bad dog breath, as more saliva gets built up in your dog’s mouth is makes it easier for bacteria to breed resulting in bad breath.

The last and most common form of bacteria build up is from not cleaning or not properly cleaning your dog’s teeth, this enables tartar to form and make the bad odor you are forced to smell day in day out.

Many believe that food choice and what you feed your dog is a problem when dog breath is concerned, as this may be true to an extent this is more of a temporary short term problem and the reason above is more likely to be the problem cause.

There are plenty of dental hygiene products available in pet shops and online, some work better than others on different dogs but you best bet is to clean your dog’s teeth regularly to stop the bacteria build up, this is where the problem begins and where you should target your efforts.

If you fear the problem has got too far to recover or damage or the gums and teeth is visible you should contact your vet as soon as possible for help and a proper diagnosis of your pet.



Thanks to John Williams Dog Training for contributing this article to our Pets blog:

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