E X P E R T A D V I C E
An s w e rs to y ou r b e h a v i o r a n d tra i n i n g q u e s ti o n s
Planning for a Pet Trust By Charl es Mi cha e l F u l to n
W
ithout a pet trust, the best case is that a family member will, voluntarily, take care of your pet should you pass away before your pet does. The worst case is that your pet will be taken to a shelter. For this reason, it’s often advised that pet owners have a pet trust in place as part of their estate planning. But how do you get started? Thankfully, estate planning and pet trust Expert Professor Gerry W. Beyer sat down with NOVADog’s local legal expert,
10 Northern Virginia Dog
| Spring 2019
Charles Michael Fulton, Esq., to provide our readers with the ins and outs of why, how and what to think about when building your own pet trust. Pet trusts generally take one of two forms: a statutory trust or a traditional trust. First, all states have a statute on the books that creates a pet trust without the formalities of a traditional trust. These statutory trusts basically provide default terms to “fill in the gaps,” as Professor Beyer puts it. Professor Beyer