Pet Heir: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
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Some rich people give their fortune to their relatives [[Will|when they die]] (though in the media, it's often [[On One Condition]]). Some leave their fortune to charity. And some eccentric types leave their money to... their beloved dog. Or cat, or fancy rat, or parrot, or whatever.
That's the concept behind the
Legally, of course, animals cannot own money or property, and domesticated animals are, themselves, property; but a testamentary trust for an animal's care could be set up, and all the estate's assets could go to that trust. Which would leave the trustee in control of the assets.
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** This forms a major part of the plot in ''[[Discworld/Making Money|Making Money]]''. Near the beginning of the book, Topsy Lavish leaves her shares in the Ankh-Morpork Royal Bank to her dog, Mr. Fusspot... and leaves the dog to Moist von Lipwig, with a note that Moist will be targeted by the Assassins' Guild if Moist should decline to take care of the dog.
* A young adult novel (the title of which this troper cannot recall) featured a variant of this trope. A [[Uncle Pennybags|wealthy old lady]] left her estate and [[Big Fancy House|house]] to her cat for the rest of its natural life, under the care of a trustee; after the cat's death the house is to go to the city for a park. The book opens with the protagonists becoming suspicious of how long the cat has lived under the guardian's care, and they [[You Meddling Kids|start to investigate]].
* In H. Allen Smith's 1946 novel ''Rhubarb'' ([[The Film of the Book|filmed]] in 1951), a [[Eccentric Millionaire|cranky millionaire]] leaves
* One of the endings for the interactive book "The Dandee Diamond Mystery" has the benefactor's parrot inheriting the diamond.
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* [[Truth in Television]] example: Look up [[wikipedia:Leona Helmsley|Leona Helmsley.]]
** As well as [http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37820841/ns/today-today_people?GT1=43001 Gail Posner.]
* Some species of pets in particular will almost require this. If an adult human buys a young parrot, that bird will likely outlive its owner. Not crazy, just responsible with a animal that can live
** Tortoises can live over 100 years, with documented cases of 150+ years. Responsible owners will make provisions for their tortoises' care in case they predecease their pets.
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