Worlds Wealthiest Pets: Animals Living Life in First Class

Take a moment and try to remember when you got your last deep tissue massage. How about the total in the past year? My bet is – not too many, if any at all. Now, if you were Trouble - Leona Helmsley’s spoiled brat of a Maltese you’d need more than two paws to count your therapeutic sessions with a professional masseuse.

Trouble is a lucky mutt, inheriting over $12 million (even more in dog money) in a trust fund that disinherited both of Hemsley’s grandchildren.

Leona’s precious pup isn’t the only pampered pooch that is driven around Manhattan in a stretch limo. Karlotta Leibenstein’s beloved German shepherd – Gunther III is currently richer than 99% of the human population, with an offensive net worth of over $320 million. Unfortunately the millionaire canine passed away a month after the death of its owner, and the fortune went to one of Gunther’s pups – Gunther IV.

Now that we’ve established the fact that we live in a very twisted world, let’s talk about the lavish lives these pets actually lead. For some of the wealthiest people their pets are their only sources of true love. This is especially true for eccentric individuals that alienate themselves from all other humans. These people are also in the subset of those that spend thousands of dollars on psychic readings and life coaching seminars for their pets.

Some of the wealthiest pets get to enjoy custom-made meal plans – and not for medical reasons, either. Special diets are seen as “good for the animals”, with the owners spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on meals prepared by world-class chefs.

More than a quarter of millionaire dog spoilers report that they spend in the ballpark of $25k on wardrobes of their pets, and the same amount on birthday gifts,  each year. Yup – twenty-five thousand dollars – an amount equivalent to a modest down payment on a house.

If you think that’s ridiculous then you’re going to love this.

Several pets soar over skyscrapers and beautiful landscapes in private aircrafts – alone, while most of us have to cramp in business class.

Dogs are not the only pets that are privileged to receiving royal treatment. There are many cats, birds (chickens included) and at least one primate that are richer than the majority of the worlds population will ever be.

Many regular, every-day people think that this spoiled treatment is a bit over the top regarding puppy care (and rightfully so), however, trust accounts are still being set up for the four-legged one percent. With complete disregard for humanitarian efforts and charitable causes, these self-centered mammals are laughing/barking all the way to the bank, while the average folk struggle along, scraping to get by. So much for being a man’s best friend.

So, how much do the worlds richest pets actually have in their accounts? Let’s take a look at the list Forbes doesn’t tell you about:

1. First on the list is the aforementioned Gunther III. The German shepherd that is richer than 99% of Germans has his paws on over $320 million.
2. Next is Blackie – worlds most spoiled feline. This lucky (and ironically black) cat is worth in the neighborhood of $25 million.
3. Frankie has about $14 million to his name – this mutt lives in luxury in his San Diego estate. Talk about a quality doghouse…
4. Gigoo the hen has a bank account with a modest balance of approximately $10 million. Makes you wonder how much a Gigoo-egg omelet would cost… hmm.
5. Betty White’s Golden Retriever – Pontiac is next on the list. The dog has a $5 million trust fund set up in his name, and is set for life in case anything happens to its loving owner.

The above listed millionaire pets are only some of the many cats and dogs that live well above anything the regular folk can image. The only question here is: what possesses these eccentric pet-owners to sign away their life savings to their furry mammals? In the case of the aforementioned Maltese – Trouble, the courts officially declared that its owner Leona Helmsley was in fact mentally disturbed. Funny enough, the dog had a team of lawyers who defended the case for the mutt to keep the fortune. Good for the dog, not so good for the lawyers – who temporarily become the laughingstock of the lawyer community.

With the pets being worth what they are, it comes as no surprise that the furry drool machines can be at risk of dognapping. Many of these pampered pups receive dozens of threats in their lifetimes. Puppy snatchers will threaten to kill or kidnap a loved pet with the hopes of collecting a meaty ransom. In the case of Trouble, who received in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 death and dognapping threats, its owner went to great lengths to keep the pup safe. Helmsley hired a full time security guard to tail (pun intended) and protect her beloved Maltese.

Regardless of the security measures these eccentric millionaires take, the dogs don’t live forever (at least they go to heaven, right?). In most cases where the dog previously inherits a fortune from its late owner dies, the money is reverted to the family estate – some good news for those of us annoyed by the luxurious (and sometimes downright silly) displays of pet aristocracy.

Although these millionaire pets don’t live much longer than a decade, the amount of love and luxury they receive in their few years is often much more than what an average person can imagine.

Apparently it’s a dog’s world.