Ratan Tata’s pet dog Tito named in his Rs 10,000 crore will, Know what pets can legally inherit from their owners in India

The Indian laws do not allow to create a trust with pets as beneficiaries. It is because pets cannot be recognised as a person who can inherit an estate of a person.

Late Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata, provisioned ‘unlimited’ care for his pet dog, Tito. After Ratan Tata’s demise, Tata’s longtime cook, Rajan Shaw is taking care of the canine. Tata also provisioned for his long time butler, Subbiah, in his will. Ratan Tata’s will shows his affection with these people and the bond that had nurtured between them for decades. Even Tata, on many occasions, had picked out designer clothes for them when he travelled abroad.

Ratan Tata had adopted Tito five-six years back. He was adopted when Ratan Tata had lost his dog whose name was also Tito. It is evident and one can observe that several affluent people put out a succession plan for their pets across the world.

Here are a few names who provisioned millions for their pets in their will. Hotelier Leona Helmsley drew attention when she left $12 million for her dog, Trouble, before her death in 2007. Similarly, Karl Lagerfeld left $1.5 million for cat, Choupette. In the series, another example is of a German Shepherd dog, Gunther, who inherited from his grandfather, Gunther III, $ 80 million by a German countess.

The Indian laws do not allow to create a trust with pets as beneficiaries. It is because pets cannot be recognised as a person who can inherit an estate of a person. Pets are always deemed to be personal property. Above all, the law says that the beneficiaries of a trust must be capable of enforcing rules against the trustee to which the animals cannot. They can’t take trustees to the court.