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 Oklahoma, pet owners can create a trust to ensure the care and well-being of their pets after the owner's death or incapacitation. Oklahoma Statutes Title 12, Section 1758.1 - 1758.9, known as the 'Oklahoma Pet Trust Act,' specifically allows for the creation of a trust for the care of an animal alive during the settlor's lifetime. The trust can be created during the pet owner's lifetime or through a will. 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 alive during the settlor's lifetime, upon the death of the last surviving animal. A trustee is appointed to manage the trust and use its assets solely for the benefit of the pets named in the trust. The trustee can be a different person from the caretaker of the pets. Oklahoma law also provides for the enforcement of the trust, including the appointment of a person to enforce the trust if no enforcer is designated in the trust document.