Queen of Mean leaves billions to dog care

Hotel maven Leona Helmsley, who died last year after a life spent amassing a fortune in the hotel business, may have left somewhere between $5 and $8 billion to dogs.

Helmsley definitely left her Maltese, Trouble, a $12 million trust fund. The dog reportedly blew it all on a six-dollar box of Milkbones, barking a message that the cashier interpreted as "Keep the change."*

There's some question as to the legality of the statement Helmsley left behind instructing that these billions be used to care for needy dogs, but if it happens, it'll provide more funding for dog care than all the other animal charities in the country, combined. (Or so this article claims.) Has Helmsley, nicknamed the Queen of Mean, redeemed her reputation with one fell swoop? You decide.

*I made up the Milkbone thing. But the $12 million trust fund is true.

Comments

[david]

"Has Helmsley, nicknamed the Queen of Mean, redeemed her reputation with one fell swoop? You decide."

The stupidity of that statement is breathtaking. Only a self-centered dog owner would suggest that this a-hole of a woman could redeem herself by leaving billions to... dogs.

[Kris]

Hee. I don't actually own a dog, but I am happy to be called breathtaking in any context. Thanks for the comment!

[david]

any context?

[Maayan Gordon]

I have loved dogs my entire life. I now own a black labrador/aussie mix and i am training a guide dog puppy who is a lab. I have worked in two vet clinics and i loved beeing able to help animals in need. I have also previously raised and trained a guide dog named Garth who I now miss very much. When I was younger my family owned a wonderful and energetic peach colored standar poodle named Sparky and two cats. One white siamese named angel and one brown grey tabby named lucifer (after the cat in cinderella). Because of my love of cats and dogs I decided to start a store for pets so I can continue to help and provide for them.