[nagdu] "Pets, Wills and Animal Trusts"

Wed Jul 18 01:11:23 UTC 2012

Hi Elizabeth:

I hope this is the article you were talking about, very interesting reading.

Judy and Xyla

***************

July 16, 2012 at 6:00 AM

Legal Q&A: Pets, wills and animal trusts

Posted by Neena Pellegrini

Adam Karp, a lawyer in Bellingham pictured above with Bubba, exclusively 
practices animal law in Washington and Idaho. He answers questions about pets 
and estate planning.

Question: If I don't have a will or made other legal arrangements, under 
Washington State law what happens to my pets when I die?

Answer: Barring the existence of an animal trust, state law (RCW 11.04.015) 
generally will treat the animal companions as estate property, passing to 
heirs per the state's intestacy laws -- i.e., first the spouse/domestic 
partner, then the children, then the parents, then the siblings, then 
grandparents, then aunts and uncles.

Question: What legal protection does a will or trust provide me and for my 
pets?

Answer: It gives posthumous decision making power to the one in the best 
position to determine who will acquire ownership and possessory rights in your 
animal companions - i.e., you!

A will to provide for an animal companion typically takes the form of an 
outright legacy (distribution of money) to a person for the benefit of the 
animal. A trust, on the other hand, contemplates using the trust corpus and 
interest for a longer period of time, generally the lifetime of the animal.

A distribution of money from a will lacks the reliability and recourse of a 
trust, because the recipient of money under a will could just take a trip to 
Hawaii and not use it for the animal; whereas the trustee owes a fiduciary 
duty to use the trust assets according to your explicit instructions.

Question: How important is designating a guardian? How can I be sure my pet 
will be getting the kind of care I want him or her to have?

Answer: Washington law does not technically recognize "guardians" of nonhuman 
animals, though the State of Rhode Island favors that terminology over owners.
Ch. 11.118 RCW, passed in 2001, allows Washingtonians to identify a trustee to 
manage assets for the benefit of designated animals as well as a custodian to 
care for the animal after you become incapacitated or die.
  Nothing prevents the trustee from also serving as custodian, but if you want 
to eliminate any appearance of impropriety or self-dealing, designating two 
individuals - one as money manager, one as caretaker - protects both the trust 
assets as well as the animal..
  Question: How specific can I be in detailing my wishes -- such things as 
type of food my pet is fed, how often the pet is exercised, where he/she 
sleeps, continued medications and vet care, etc. What can an owner 
realistically expect a guardian to do?
  Answer: Be as specific as you desire, including arrangements such as diet 
(raw food), scheduled activities (play time, walks, grooming), geographic 
restrictions (no living in excessively hot or cold locales), travel conditions 
(e.g., no air transport), cremation and burial.
This is your only opportunity to maximize the likelihood that your animal 
companion will not suffer unduly in your absence.

Question: What if, after I'm gone, the designated guardian is unable to be the 
guardian (because of, say, a death or disability) or decides he/she cannot or 
will not be the guardian? What happens to the pets? Should I make provision in 
my will or a trust to cover this?

Answer: Designate a first and second alternate caretaker, or permit the 
trustee (if you use a trust) to appoint a caretaker. If the trustee and 
caretaker are the same under your hypothetical, the court will name a trustee 
per RCW 11.118.070.

The court also can enter orders to carry out your intent. And if the trustee 
has engaged in suspicious misconduct, any person with an interest in the 
welfare of your animal may petition the court for an order appointing or 
removing a person designated or appointed to enforce the trust. (RCW 
11.118.050.)

The "poor man's animal trust" arguably lacks the enforcement mechanisms of Ch. 
11.118 RCW, but if you trust the legatee (the one receiving the bequest or 
legacy of the animal and money related to the care of the animal), you can 
just state your desire in the will to give your animals to Individual A, with 
a certain amount of money to care for the animal, followed by a provision that 
if Individual A cannot or will not accept, then you alternatively elect 
Individuals B and C.

Unlike the trust, however, if Individual A simply pockets the money and 
euthanizes the dog, traditionally such despicable behavior carried no legal 
consequences because the terms were deemed unenforceable (also called honorary 
or precatory). This is the case, although your estate might argue the gift was 
conditioned on the recipient complying with your wishes, in which case the 
estate may try to sue for damages, or the court might construe the gift as a 
constructive, or de facto, trust and forcing the recipient to disgorge the 
money she received under the will.

Note that an animal trust assumes that money passes into a trust for the care 
of the animal. So if you intend simply to transfer ownership and possession of 
an animal -- but not also provide money for the animal's care -- you are not 
creating a trust.

Question: How binding is the designation in a will or trust, should the next 
of kin -- and not the designated guardian -- want the animal or disagree with 
details, such as money set aside for the animal's care?

Answer: Very binding, barring evidence of fraud or undue influence or other 
grounds that would warrant negating the will.

Question: Should economic compensation be included in the package?

Answer: Yes, if possible. The "gift" of a companion animal, especially if 
unexpected, may come with such significant financial responsibility as to 
become a penalty.

Foisting an animal's care upon another without the wherewithal to sustain a 
level of care to which you and the animal were accustomed is not only cruel to 
the animal but unfair to the legatee.

I recommend having a heart-to-heart discussion with the proposed legatees, 
obtaining their consent and discussing the dollars and cents of any such 
arrangement to avoid him or her having to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Question: Are there guidelines for determining how much to leave for a dog or 
cat? For example, how much do you figure for food, vet and other care and 
amenities per year. Then add on the compensation. What happens to that money 
if the pet dies earlier than expected and if there is money left over?

Answer: No legal minimum exists, but it makes sense to leave enough principal 
so that income therefrom can pay for the animal's needs over the remainder of 
his or her life.

On average, Americans spend $750 to $1500 a year on food, treats, veterinary 
care and miscellaneous expenses for a dog or cat.

One guideline seeks to leave at least $1000 per year of the animal's projected 
remaining life span, with an additional $10,000 to cover emergency and 
geriatric diagnostics and surgeries (like humans, most medical expenses are 
incurred in the final years of life).

Horses and parrots, however, can far outlive dogs and cats by as much as a 
factor of 2 to 3 (for horses) and 5 to 10 (for parrots like macaws), making 
funding extremely important to avoid them being abandoned, euthanized or sold.

If the animal dies with money left in trust, then the trustee must transfer 
the trust income first as directed by you, then (if created as part of the 
will) per the residuary clause of your will, and then to your heirs if they 
are alive. (RCW 11.118.040.)

Question: What kind of protection does a will or trust give me should the 
guardian not follow the stipulations listed, such as selling the animal or 
giving it to someone else to care for, not providing proper veterinary care 
for the animal, putting the animal down for mere convenience sake, etc.

Answer: If you use a trust, you can empower the trustee to remove the 
caretaker and appoint another. If the trustee and caretaker are the same, 
then, per RCW 11.118.050, as described above, any qualifying person can ask 
the court to take action.

Question: What if I use a will?

Answer: RCW 11.118.050 will not apply in the case of a will. Only your 
personal representative (also known as executor) can attempt to enforce the 
terms of the will.

Question: Do you have any general guidelines for including pets in a trust or 
will?

Answer: Imagine you are giving a eulogy for your animal. Pay attention to the 
recurring themes and highlights. They signify fundamental needs, interests and 
preferences that must receive treatment in any will or trust.

Adam Karp

Adam Karp founded and served as the first chairman of the Washington State Bar 
Association's Animal Law Section and has held executive committee positions 
since then. He also has served as vice chairman of the American Bar 
Association's Animal Law Committee since its formation. He regularly writes 
about and speaks around the country on animal law, and he has taught animal 
law at the University of Washington School of Law and Seattle University 
School of Law since 2004.

.

On Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:50:20 -0700
  "Elizabeth Rene" <emrene at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I've just read an article in the Seattle Times newspaper (on my iPhone) that 
>I think should be required reading for everyone with a guide dog whom they 
>might want to provide for in their inheritance plan or place with a guardian 
>on retirement.
> 
> Which really might mean everyone with a guide dog, because we never know ...
> 
> The July 16 article, which is available on the free Seattle Times app, in 
>the "Living" section, is called "Tails of Seattle - Legal Q&A: Pets, Wills 
>and Animal Trusts."  It's written by attorney Adam Karp of Bellingham, 
>Washington, who devotes his practice to animal law and serves on several 
>animal law task forces.
> 
> It's very readable, fascinating, and well worth looking for.
> 
> Wish I could have copied it here.
> 
> Happy tails,
> 
> Elizabeth
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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