Diane Keaton loved her dog, Reggie.<\/p>\n
The award-winning actor, director and real estate entrepreneur<\/a> frequently posted photos and video clips of the golden retriever<\/a> on her social media accounts. After she died on Oct. 11, 2025, at 79, some news outlets reported that she left US$5 million of her estimated $100 million estate<\/a> to her dog.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a law professor<\/a> who teaches about wills, trusts and other forms of inheritance law<\/a>. Every semester, I teach my students how they can help clients provide for their pets after death. Because they, like many Americans, love their pets and want to know how to take care of them, this topic always piques their interest.<\/p>\n An estimated 66% of all U.S. households include at least one pet<\/a>. Many Americans consider their cats, dogs, tortoises or other animals to be part of their family, and their spending on those nonhuman relatives is immense. In 2024, they paid a total of about $152 billion<\/a> for goods and services to feed and otherwise support their pets.<\/p>\n Taking good care of your pets can go beyond buying them treats and sweaters. It can include leaving clear directions to ensure their needs are met once you\u2019re gone. There are several ways that you can do this.<\/p>\n The first is through your will<\/a>. You can\u2019t give your pet money directly in your will, because the law says that pets are property<\/a>, like your books or your dishes.<\/p>\n You can, however, leave a bequest<\/a>, the technical term for a gift to a person or a cause listed in a will, to someone who will be the animal\u2019s caretaker. That bequest can include directions that the money be spent meeting the pet\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth it to also name an alternate or contingent caretaker in case the first person you name does not want to or cannot take on that responsibility, or they die before you or the animals you\u2019ve provided for in the will.<\/p>\n German fashion designer, photographer and creative director Karl Lagerfeld<\/a>, who died in 2019 at 85, was someone who made the mistake of leaving money directly<\/a> to his fluffy Birman cat, Choupette. It worked out for Choupette, though.<\/p>\n The cat was, according to several reports, still alive in 2025<\/a> and eating meals out of the porcelain bowls that Lagerfeld bought for her. Choupette is cared for at great expense and in the utmost luxury by Fran\u00e7oise Ca\u00e7ote, the designer\u2019s former housekeeper. The cat even had a 13th birthday party at Versailles<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another pet owner who did right by her pet was the comedian, producer and red carpet interviewer Joan Rivers.<\/p>\n Rivers had two rescue dogs in Manhattan<\/a> and two more dogs in California when she died in 2014 at age 81. Rivers had made provisions for their care<\/a> in her will.<\/p>\nWriting pets into a will<\/h2>\n
Choupette\u2019s life of luxury<\/h2>\n