Where There's A Will: Mass. Pet Lovers Get Pet Wills
Owners of pets in Massachusetts got the news they wanted when Gov. Deval Patrick signed a piece of legislation that allows for pet trust law in the state.
The bill not only allows owners to take care of their pets in pet wills, but the bill would help the state out in terms of spending. "Having trust mechanisms is just one more tool to try and keep pets in homes and out of shelters," Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told the Boston Herald. That means that there are less abandoned pets in state facilities that need state funding.
Gov. Deval Patrick approved the bill for pet wills, according to the Boston Herald. The bill, which was introduced in Jan. 2009, was approved by the House in Jun. 2010 and recently passed by the Senate.
Specifically, Massachusetts residents will be able to create a pet trust that will remain valid until the owner's specified date or until the pet passes away. Individuals named to care for the pet in the will are forbidden to use trust fund money for anything other than the care of the pet. The bill also allows for a legal avenue in order to enforce the pet trust.
Currently, there are 40 states in the U.S. that have enacted some sort of pet trust law. Massachusetts had been one of the states lagging behind in pet trust law, according to Reuters. Who knew there were so many pet lovers in the country?
Related Resources:
- Pet Trusts: Providing For Fido and Fluffy (FindLaw)
- Heiress Gail Posner Leaves Fortune to Chihuahua (FindLaw's Legally Weird Blog)
- Including A Pet Trust In Your Estate Planning (FindLaw's New York Estate Planning Blog)