Traditional trust law requires that the subject of a trust be a person. People who wanted to provide care for their pets as part of their estate were required to create complex testamentary documents, often to no avail if they were challenged. To remedy this situation, Connecticut, like most other states, passed legislation expressly permitting trusts where the beneficiary is an animal. Connecticut’s Animal Trust Law, Connecticut General Statutes 45a-489a, delineates the creation of a trust with an administrator and caretaker which assures that pets will be taken care of after an owner’s death. Animal trusts are relatively easy to create, simple to administer, and would hopefully withstand challenges from disgruntled heirs. Aside from being quite practical, the trusts are easier to fund than a trust for a person as animals don’t cost much to care for and simply don’t live as long as people.
Sentencing Alternative
