Pet Estate Planning
The animals in your life are family. Their care belongs in the plan, too.
For many people, a pet is the steady, loving presence at the center of everyday life. Pet estate planning is a quiet way to make sure that, no matter what happens, your animals continue to be loved, fed, and cared for in the way you would care for them yourself.
(401) 600-0146·No pressure. No paperwork to bring. Just a first conversation.
What families often feel
These are the quiet questions pet owners carry.
They’re rarely the first thing people bring up. But when there’s space for it, almost every pet owner has thought about this at some point.
“Who would look after my dog if something happened to me tomorrow?”
“I want her to stay in a home, not a shelter.”
“He has medication and a routine. I'd want someone who really understands him.”
“My family loves him, but I don't want to assume anyone can take him in.”
“I want to leave something to help with vet bills and food.”
“I didn't know this was even something I could plan for.”
Planning for your pet isn’t excessive or eccentric. For many families, it’s one of the most loving pieces of the entire estate plan.
Plain-language education
What pet estate planning actually looks like.
Pet planning can be as simple as a few thoughtful provisions inside your will, or as carefully structured as a dedicated pet trust with a named caregiver and a funded budget. Sheri helps you choose what fits.
Pet trusts
A legally recognized trust that holds funds specifically for the care of your animal, names a trusted caregiver, and gives clear instructions for how your pet should be looked after.
Choosing a caregiver (and a backup)
The most important piece of any pet plan. Sheri helps you think honestly about who would genuinely welcome your pet — and who should step in if the first person can't.
Care instructions & letters of guidance
A written, personal guide capturing routines, food, vet, medications, favorite toys, fears, and quirks — so the people who love your pet next truly know them.
Funding the plan
A realistic look at what care costs over a pet's lifetime, and how to set aside an appropriate amount — enough to be meaningful, without being unreasonable.
Provisions inside your will or trust
If a dedicated pet trust is more than you need, Sheri can build clear, simple provisions directly into your existing plan.
Planning for incapacity, not just death
Pet plans should also speak to what happens if you're hospitalized or temporarily unable to care for your animals — not only what happens after you're gone.
How Sheri helps pet owners plan
Warm, thoughtful planning — for every member of the family.
Pet estate planning is one of the gentler corners of the law. Sheri brings it the same care she brings to every other piece of a family’s plan.
She takes your pet seriously.
Without ever making it strange. Sheri understands that for many people — especially those living alone or in later chapters of life — a pet is the most important daily relationship they have.
She helps you choose the right caregiver, gently.
Sometimes the obvious person isn't the right person. Sheri asks the honest questions that help you choose someone who will genuinely welcome your pet into their home.
She makes sure the funding actually works.
A pet trust without realistic funding is a wish, not a plan. Sheri helps you think about realistic care costs over a lifetime — vet, food, grooming, boarding — and structure something that holds.
She weaves it into your wider plan.
Pet planning fits inside the larger estate plan. Sheri makes sure the will, trust, and pet provisions all move in the same direction.
How planning unfolds
Three thoughtful steps, in your pet’s best interest.
Most pet owners are surprised by how warm and straightforward the process feels. It is often one of the easier parts of an estate plan to put in place.
A first, easy conversation
Tell Sheri about your animals — who they are, what they need, who already loves them, and what would feel right for their future.
Choose the structure that fits
A pet trust, simple will provisions, or a combination — Sheri recommends the gentlest path that genuinely protects your pet.
Put loving structure in place
Drafted in plain language, woven into your wider plan, and updated as life — and the family of animals you love — changes.
My dog is my whole world. I always worried about what would happen to him if I got sick or worse. Sheri made the conversation feel completely natural and put together a plan that gives me real peace of mind.
Pet trust & estate plan coordination
Educational resource
A Loving Guide to Planning for Your Pets
A short, plain-language overview Sheri shares with pet owners before their first meeting — what to think about, who to involve, and how to put a thoughtful plan in place for the animals at the center of your life.
- Why simply telling family 'take care of my dog' often isn't enough
- How to think realistically about a lifetime of pet care costs
- How to choose a caregiver — and an honest backup
- What a care letter should include, in your own voice
- When a dedicated pet trust makes sense vs. simple will provisions
- Planning for incapacity, hospitalization, or temporary inability to care for pets
Common questions families ask
Honest answers, in plain language.
When you’re ready
Make sure the ones who have loved you most are loved back.
Sheri will listen first, learn a little about your animals, and help you put a quiet, loving plan in place, with no pressure and no obligation. It’s one of the easiest pieces of an estate plan to do, and one of the most meaningful.
Unhurried. Always confidential.