Texas-statutory document
Pet Trust
Tex. Prop. Code § 112.037 (Trust for Care of Animal)
Provide for your animals when you can't — caretaker, trustee, dedicated funds.
A Texas trust formed under § 112.037 to provide for the care of one or more animals during and after the settlor's lifetime. Names a caretaker, names a trustee to manage funds, sets standards of care, and specifies disposition of remaining funds when the animal's life ends. Built for owners of long-lived, exotic, or high-care-needs pets — and for anyone who wants the certainty an informal arrangement can't provide.
What's included
- Pet Trust agreement under Tex. Prop. Code § 112.037
- Designation of covered animal(s) with identification details — base price covers up to 3 animals; +$47 per additional
- Caretaker designation with successor caretakers
- Trustee designation with successor trustees
- Standards-of-care provisions — veterinary care, diet, exercise, end-of-life decisions, specific instructions
- Funding guidance and instructions (amount and method)
- Distribution provisions for remaining funds at the last animal's death
- Trustee oversight and accounting provisions
- Execution instructions and trust certification
Owners of long-lived animals (horses, parrots, tortoises), exotic pets, or high-care-needs animals; owners with substantial assets and strong attachment; owners without an obvious default caretaker.
Multi-animal sanctuaries, breeder operations, or estates funding pet trusts at levels likely to trigger § 112.037(d) reduction proceedings — those route to Continuum Counsel.
Animal sanctuary, breeder, or large-herd operations require custom drafting — those route to Continuum Counsel. The trust itself does not fund automatically; funding occurs at execution or at the settlor's death via the residuary clause of the will or RLT.
Continuum Counsel
When the form stops fitting,
we have a conversation.
TexasEstates is for clean, common situations. For Trusts, blended families, business succession, professionals, tax-driven structures and contested matters, our advisory practice — Continuum Counsel — takes the matter directly.