Trying to wrap my mind around this New York Times story: psycho real estate mogul Leona Helmsley, who was notoriously sharp-tongued and generally mean, apparently left virtually all of her vast fortune to "dogs."

No, we're not talking the $12 million in her will to care for her own dog, Trouble, while famously snubbing two of her own grandchildren "for reasons that are known to them." We're talking the majority of her $5 to 8 billion trust.

The document is a brief two-pager that describes that her entire trust be used "for the care and welfare of dogs." And this is precious:

The two people who described the statement said Mrs. Helmsley signed it in 2003 to establish goals for the multibillion-dollar trust that would disburse assets after her death.

The first goal was to help indigent people, the second to provide for the care and welfare of dogs. A year later, they said, she deleted the first goal.

She deleted indigent people! Pure Leona. Despite the fact that the document is not officially part of the will and is therefore not immediately legally binding, it is long-established precedent to adhere to a donor's stated wishes. To put this in perspective:

The trust will be worth almost 10 times the combined assets of all 7,381 animal-related nonprofit groups reporting to the Internal Revenue Service in 2005.

Which, even if only a portion of her trust goes to animal charities, is still good news for all you dog lovers out there. And also begs the question: If all dogs go to heaven, where did Mrs. Hemlsley end up?

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written by Scott Rose on July 10, 2008

Woof!

Bow wow!!

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