Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Billions Left To Dogs In Will

Today I was reading an article in the New York Times about how real estate and hotel magnate, Leona Helmsley, who died last August aged 87, left $12 million to her Maltese dog Trouble (pictured here with her).  Apparently, leaving this estate to the dog led to death threats against Trouble, so the executors have had to pay $100,000 per year in security for little Trouble.

However, she has also left her entire estate, valued at $5 - 8 billion to the care and welfare of dogs.  Ms Helmsley lived an interesting life, building her property and hotel empire in Manhattan, being sent to prison for tax evasion and was the subject of a 1990 film.  She was known to Americans as a symbol of arrogance with an impatience for humans.  Now she has proved that by leaving the bulk of her estate to dogs, which even if valued at the lower end of the estimate at $5 billion it is more than all the 7,381 animal-related non profit groups according to the Inland Revenue Service report in 2005.  Seems she was a true dog lover!

I’m not sure her family would be so happy..

Two of her grandchildren were left $10 million between them, but only on the condition that they visit their father’s grave regularly, and a visiting book has been set up in the mausoleum to ensure they keep to this.

Leaving her fortune to dogs wasn’t Ms Helmsley’s only quirky request.  She also stated that her grave should be steam-cleaned or acid-washed once a year!