Estate planning has gone to the dogs. Lawyers say they are increasingly creating pet plans for their clients, as more pet owners want to make sure their animals are cared for after the owners are no longer able to do so themselves. Real-estate developer Leona Helmsley's $12 million provision for her Maltese's care may have generated recent headlines, but plenty of less-well-heeled individuals are creating detailed estate plans for their animals. "I don't have a single estate-planning client that I don't at least raise the issue of pet planning with," says lawyer Peggy Hoyt.
More people are creating detailed estate plans for their pets. The following sites provide more details on estate planning for animals:
• Estateplanningforpets.org: Provides detailed information about pet-care options, including a pet-care cost calculator.
• professorbeyer.com/Articles/Animals.htm: Web site of a law-school professor who has written extensively about pet trusts.
• 2ndchance4pets.org: A nonprofit that helps make sure your pets are taken care of when you can't care for them yourself.
• Aspca.org/pettrust: Has a Q &A on pet trusts
• hsus.org/petsinwills: For a free kit from the Humane Society of the U.S. on pet-planning, contact petsinwills@hsus.org or 202-452-1100.
Read full article: Wall Street Journal
