Archive for the ‘Veterinarian’ Category
A well-drafted Massachusetts Pet Trust should include a Life Care Plan for the pet. The Life Care Plan would explain the expected standard of living to be provided to the pet, including food, medication and grooming. The Life Care Plan should also go into whether it is intended to provide for expensive medical treatment. Doing so can minimize the chances of disputes among the Caretaker, Monitor and Trustee.
A well thought-out Life Care Plan should also consider that the Caretaker may at some point be temporarily unavailable to care for the pet, such as when on vacation, hospitalized, or away on business. The Life Care Plan should explain whether the use of a pet sitter or professional boarding business would be acceptable during such temporary events.
Once a Life Care Plan has been established, it will be easier for your Veterinarian to help determine how much funding may be necessary for the Pet Trust.
Posted by: Brian E. Barreira, Esq. / 18 Samoset Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 / 508-747-8282
The Monitor should monitor the care of your pet and the actions of the Trustee of a Massachusetts Pet Trust. It may be difficult enough to choose the Caretaker and Trustee, but a third person or entity should be involved. You need to consider that for one reason or another the Caretaker or Trustee may at some point not be performing their roles appropriately, or a dispute may arise between them. The role of the Monitor in a Massachusetts Pet Trust would be to make sure both are acting appropriately at all times and to resolve occasional disagreements. 
The Trustee will be in charge of investing and spending the funds in the trust, and Massachusetts law requires that the Trustee disclose all financial transactions through an accounting. The Monitor can be the person or entity with the responsibility for reviewing those accountings and either approving them or , if appropriate, objecting to them.
The Caretaker will be in charge of the daily care of your pet, and an occasional visit (perhaps sometimes unannounced) by the Monitor can ensure that the pet is being properly cared for.
The Monitor perhaps should be the pet’s Veterinarian, who would have a good idea of what proper care for the pet would be and how much that care should cost.
Posted by: Brian E. Barreira, Esq. / 18 Samoset Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 / 508-747-8282
The choice of a Caretaker for your pet is always a tough decision in the estate planning process. The Caretaker is the person that will be in charge of your pet when, due to your death or disability, you cannot be responsible for the daily care of your pet. The Caretaker will be in charge of your pet’s Life Care Plan, including its diet, exercise, medical treatment and eventual death.
The Caretaker should be expected to follow your wishes for the care of your pet. In most cases, another member of your family or a friend will be appointed as the Caretaker, but you need to discuss the situation completely with the family member or friend in advance to ensure that this person is able and willing to accept this responsibility. In case that person cannot continue to serve in the role, a successor Caretaker should also be appointed in the trust, or there should at least be a method for appointing a successor. If you do not have a clear choice for the role of Caretaker or successor Caretaker, perhaps the pet’s Veterinarian may have some suggestions, such as a local Humane Society.
Under the system of checks and balances in the trust, the person who is appointed Monitor should have the ability to check on the pet at any reasonable time. The Caretaker should be someone who will not be resentful of this scrutiny.
If it is your intention that the Caretaker be compensated for taking care of your pet, the method of compensation should be clearly outlined in the trust.
Posted by: Brian E. Barreira, Esq. / 18 Samoset Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 / 508-747-8282
Instead of Establishing a Pet Trust, Can You Leave Your Pet to Your Veterinarian or an Animal Shelter?
Posted on: March 23, 2011
One option other than a Massachusetts Pet Trust for the future care of your pet is to leave your pet to your Veterinarian
or to an animal shelter. I can’t and shouldn’t speak for your Veterinarian, however, so you should ask your Veterinarian directly about this issue. If the Veterinarian would prefer not be directly involved, perhaps the Veterinarian could present you with suggestions about appropriate animal shelters.
You could then leave enough money in your will to the Veterinarian or animal shelter for the anticipated future care of the pet, and hope for the best for your pet. Consider, however, that your pet would then not be a part of a family and may not receive the same amount of attention and affection that the pet has had at home.
Posted by: Brian E. Barreira, Esq. / 18 Samoset Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 / 508-747-8282
When establishing a Massachusetts Pet Trust, there are some basic components that must be considered, including the following:
1. THE CARETAKER: The pet trust must appoint a Caretaker for your pet, and should include either a successor to the Caretaker or a method to determine who will be the successor if the Caretaker quits, becomes disabled or dies.
2. THE TRUSTEE: The pet trust must appoint a Trustee to handle the finances, and should include a successor Trustee or a method to choose the successor Trustee.
3. THE MONITOR: A person known as a Monitor should be appointed to oversee that the Caretaker and Trustee are performing their roles appropriately. The pet’s Veterinarian could perhaps serve as the Monitor, since the Veterinarian is a professional who would not only know what care was appropriate under the circumstances, but also how much that care should cost.
4. THE ACCOUNTINGS: Where Massachusetts law requires that a Trustee of any trust prepare accountings to disclose all financial transactions, the pet trust must specify who is to receive and review those accountings, and what should happen if the Trustee is not handling the role properly. The Monitor can serve in this role.
5. THE PET: The beneficiary or beneficiaries of the trust should be made clear. Every pet that the trust is being established for must be carefully identified. Also, since an animal is considered personal property under Massachusetts law, the pet must be assigned to the trust.
6. THE LIFE CARE PLAN: The trust should state your expectations for the pet’s standard of living and care, including veterinary appointments and surgery. The trust should also have a provision that deals with what should happen if the Caretaker is not doing an adequate job; the Monitor can serve in this role.
7. THE FUNDS: The trust is a useless pile of papers if funds do not arrive in the trust when needed. Consider not only how funds will get into the trust after your death, but also during any period of your disability before death. Perhaps the Trustee should be given a limited durable power of attorney to place funds into the trust if you become disabled.
8. THE TRUST TERMINATION: Provisions should be made for what happens to the pet’s remains after the pet dies, including the pet’s burial or cremation. Provisions should also be made for what then happens to the remaining funds in the trust.
Posted by: Brian E. Barreira, Esq. / 18 Samoset Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 / 508-747-8282
Besides your pet’s Veterinarian, various other parties should be consulted during the process of your estate planning for your pets. Your estate planning attorney must be involved to make sure that your pet trust is prepared in accordance with Massachusetts law and so that there is a method for getting the pet and funds into the trust at the appropriate time.
Your own family members, your choices as Trustee and your choices as Caretaker of your pet must all be aware of your plans and wishes.
If you have a financial 
planner, that person should also know about your plans for your pet trust.
After your pet trust is in place, you also need to let anyone who has a key to your home know about your plans. If something happens suddenly to you, they need to know where your pet should go.
Posted by:
18 Samoset Street,
Plymouth, MA
508-747-8282
Should You Have a Discussion with Your Veterinarian about Your Plan to Establish a Massachusetts Pet Trust?
Posted on: March 14, 2011
There may be nobody except you with as much knowledge about and insight into the health and well-being of your pet as your pet’s Veterinarian, so a discussion with the Veterinarian during your estate planning process can be of great help.
Medical records and the possible future needs of your pet can be outlined for the Caretaker, and a Pet Life Plan can be created. Dietary or medication schedules or exercise plans can be placed into writing for the future use of the pet’s Caretaker, and, in some cases, you may also wish to make tentative arrangements for eventual death of your pet.
You and your Veterinarian should discuss your pet’s potential lifespan, to help estimate the total costs that may be needed for the care of your pet and the necessary funding of the Pet Trust. Under Massachusetts law, a judge can reduce the amount going into the pet trust, so you should not guess blindly on how much the pet may need.
Posted by: Brian E. Barreira, Esq. / 18 Samoset Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 / 508-747-8282
