Seminar Offers Tips on Estate Planning That’s for the Birds

If you’re estate planning for a macaw, or trying to find a custodian for your cockatoo, it would have helped to be present at the Marina del Rey Hotel on Sunday afternoon. Amid a cacophony of squeaks, squawks and the loud rustling of wings, an animal lawyer was holding forth.

“Because we treat our animals like our children, it’s important that we look into our future and see what will happen to our children if we are no longer here,” said attorney Sandra L. Toye.

Toye led about three dozen members of the Parrot Society of Los Angeles through the steps of writing a will to provide for an animal’s care. The document should detail who the pet will go to, how its care will be financed, and why, she said.

The feathered members of the audience bobbed their heads, as if in agreement. The humans in the crowd chuckled aloud -- the proud “parronts,” as they call themselves.

Learning about how to estate plan with your parrot in mind is more important than one might think, said Tim Obrenski, director of the group, which has about 100 members and at least that many parrots.

“Parrots can live 80 to 100 years,” said Obrenski. “You have to make provisions for what happens to your parrot after you’re gone.”

The nonprofit group is dedicated to the welfare of parrots, said Obrenski, who lives with three parrots: an African grey and two umbrella cockatoos. This particular speaker was a natural fit.

Toye admitted that while she doesn’t have birds like the colorful creatures perched all over the room, she is a longtime animal lover.

She currently cares for a dog, three cats, two guinea pigs and six rats, she said.

The firm that bears her name specializes in “animal related legal matters, including estate planning to provide for your pets, injuries to animals, neighbor disputes and dog-bite defense,” according to her business card.

Toye suggested that audience members leave their pets, and the money for their care, to a rescue society or other such group that will ensure the well-being of the animal upon the owner’s death. This sort of provision, part of a living trust, is legal if done properly, she said.

With either of those options, Toye recommended that pet owners create an “animal document” for each pet they own, detailing all of the quirky aspects of a pet’s personality -- from what they like to eat to how they play -- for whoever might take care of their pets in the event of their death. Toye said her document includes information about her cat’s favorite hiding places and the fact that he likes smelling her vanilla-scented perfume.

“The will must make you look sane,” Toye said. “My animal document makes me look far from sane.”

In addition, she suggested that pet owners carry an emergency card with them. In the event of an accident, that card would tell rescuers that the person has pets, where they are and who can care for them.

Standing around after Toye’s speech, Christiana MacKnight of Silver Lake showed off Arthur, a rare royal blue hyacinthine macaw that she said is like “the most popular girl at school” at parrot-lover gatherings such as the one Sunday.

As if on cue, Susan Ritman Macdonald, a self-described bird advocate, pulled in close to admire Arthur. “This is the closest I’ve ever been to one,” the Venice resident said breathlessly.

MacKnight, who owns 16 parrots and estimates that she spends $600 a month tending to her birds’ basic needs, said she learned a lot at Sunday’s forum. Gesturing at Arthur, who gripped his talons around her left arm, MacKnight said she knows that her popular parrot will outlive her, and she realizes that she needs to make provisions for his care.

Other society members showed equal affection for their winged friends. They carried on conversations with parrots perched on their shoulders and quietly stroked the rainbow-hued feathers of their birds.

Tammy Carreiro, a member of the Parrot Society’s board of directors, spoke lovingly of her seven birds, which have the intelligence level of a toddler and at least one of which has the lung capacity to squeal at the “decibel level of a 747.”

Her birds, she said with the rapturous pride of a new parent, have become a focus of her life. She’s learned that her birds prefer spaghetti and meatballs to any sort of stereotypical bird food. (Another member of the society dismissed a simple birdseed diet as “like chocolate candy all day long.”)

And they demand constant affection and attention: “It’s like living with a 2-year-old for 80 to 100 years,” Carreiro said.