Because the law considers pets personal property and not human beings, pets cannot own property, and a pet owner cannot leave money or assets to a pet in a will or a trust. But a pet owner can provide for the care and well-being of a pet or pets in a traditional trust or in a statutory pet trust (authorized under a state’s statutes).

For example, the pet owner (known as the grantor, settlor, or trustor) will create a trust for a named pet or pets (the beneficiary or beneficiaries of the trust), place money or income-producing assets in the trust and name a trustee to manage and administer the trust for the benefit of the pet or pets, as provided in the trust agreement.

For a brief summary of each state’s pet trust laws and the state statutes where you can find them, copy and paste this URL in your internet browser: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-planning/pet-trust-laws

In Alabama, pet owners can create a trust to provide for the care and well-being of their pets after the owner's death or incapacitation. Alabama's pet trust law, found in Section 19-3B-408 of the Alabama Code, allows for the establishment of a trust for the care of an animal alive during the settlor's lifetime. The trust can be created specifically for the pet and must designate a trustee to manage the trust's assets and ensure the pet's needs are met according to the terms set out in the trust agreement. The trust terminates upon the death of the animal or, if the trust was established to provide for the care of more than one animal, upon the death of the last surviving animal.