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.
Why TexasEstates
What you actually get for the price.
Every column below is a real thing your document either has or doesn't. The Texas Estates Code doesn't care what the marketing said — it cares whether the document holds up at probate.
| Feature | TexasEstates Fixed-fee attorney service | Online template $39–$249 typical | DIY form Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney-drafted for Texas | yes | template only | no |
| Self-proving affidavit (Tex. Est. Code § 251.104) | yes | sometimes | no |
| Texas Estates Code compliance | yes | generic 50-state | no |
| Fixed fee, no hourly billing | yes | yes (subscription) | n/a |
| One-business-day drafting | yes | instant download | n/a |
| Attorney review before delivery | yes | no | no |
| Held in IOLTA until services rendered | yes | no | n/a |
| Refund earn-out at each milestone | yes | no | n/a |
| Complex-matter routing (blended, trusts, business) | yes | no — sold anyway | no |
Category comparisons based on publicly-available information from major online legal-form vendors as of Feb 2026. Individual products in each category may vary.
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