pets of the super wealthy

Pets are special members of the family, so owners often make plans in case their pet passes away first. But the super-wealthy are predictably going one step further and entrusting their furry friends with large tracts of land to avoid losing their canine therapists and personal drivers. And according to Messenger, it’s not just dogs and cats that are endangered, but lizards, parrots and horses, too. In all 50 states, pets are considered property and are not subject to wills (because property cannot be inherited). There are several ways to work around this issue. Animals can be placed in a shelter or nursing home, adopted, or placed with a caretaker who manages a pet trust.

Trust me, you think? The Messenger spoke to Peggy Hoyt, who runs a nonprofit organization in this field, to outline what it takes to set up a pet trust. Her cheapest tier starts at her $150 (plus $10 monthly upkeep) and requires funding of $10,000 per cat, $15,000 per dog, and $50,000 per horse. Agreeing to this will ensure that your pet will be placed with a new family or at an animal sanctuary. She shares her $1 million fortune (plus her two additional horses) with her four horses, Vogue, Heaven, Sparkle, and Dash, as well as her eight other cat and dog mixes (which is a great name as well, but I’m going to keep it especially for Papillon mixes). Darla Dinkle (She is the Queen of Tinkle). “You will make plans for your children,” she told the Messenger. “In my case, I don’t have two-legged children. I only have four-legged children.”

Darla Dinkle is one of a growing number of pets left out in the cold by wealthy owners. Designer Karl Lagerfield famously left his beloved cat Choupette with a $1.5 million trust, while Anna Wintour once said that Choupette had “two maids, a chef, a personal hairdresser, and many other people.” “A very beautiful, bourgeois cat with a diamond necklace.” Real estate mogul Leona Helmsley spent $12 million on her new puppy, Trouble. new york times, this caused a different kind of trouble. The Maltese has been placed under $100,000 a year in security after death threats were made against the millionaire’s dog. (Tree Hugger has an overview of pets who have left behind property, if you’d like to take a walk on a particular trail).

Trusts aren’t the only legal guarantees pet owners are setting up these days. Christina Bergsten of the animal law firm said: people Her company provides a “child-making service” that helps couples resolve custody issues when they decide to separate. She says it’s important to handle these issues in writing because judges automatically favor parties whose names appear on documents such as pet adoption agreements. “Courts don’t like custody agreements when it comes to pets,” she says. for children. ” (These are the trendiest cat and dog names).