#who takes my dog when I die Articles

More than 500,000 pets are euthanized every year in the US because their owners died without a plan. A pet trust — legal in all 50 states — is the only way to ensure your dog or cat receives proper care after you're gone. But most guides skip the hard parts: what it actually costs, how much to fund it, which states have the strongest laws, the three mistakes that make trusts fail, and the honest answer to 'can I just leave my pet to my sister?' This is the complete 2026 guide.