Commentary: Clients' Pets Deserve Care When Owners Die

Abstract

This brief commentary posits that estate planning lawyers may be ethically obligated to inquire about their clients’ pets so they can make certain those pets are properly cared for when clients are unable to do so due to injury, illness, or death. The commentary provides four steps a pet owner should take to assure that his or her pet will receive proper care immediately when the owner can no longer provide it. The commentary also lists eight items a pet owner should consider in planning for a pet’s long-term care upon the owner’s demise.