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From Choupette Largerfeld to an £11 million chicken, the pets who inherited a fortune

When the wealthy die their vast fortunes are usually sliced up and divided among their nearest and dearest.

But what if their nearest and dearest happens to be an eight-year-old Maltese cross, or even a chicken?

Here's a rundown of pets who inherited a pile - much to (we imagine) the irritation of the deceased's human relatives.

Bella Mia the Maltese: £1m and an entire home

Generic photo of a Maltese dog (Photo by Nikolai Chernichenko on Unsplash)
Generic photo of a Maltese dog (Photo by Nikolai Chernichenko on Unsplash)

Another Maltese on the list, it was revealed that accountant Rose Ann Bolsany has left a massive trust fund to her dog Bella Mia who is regularly dressed in diamonds and pearls, as well as over a thousand designer outfits.

In 2015, Bolsany revealed that the dog would inherit one of her homes as well as be added to a trust fund her sons are part of - continuing that her sons “don’t need my money.” She said, “I discussed having Bella Mia included in the trust fund with my sons and they totally understood.

“I explained to them that I know they love Bella Mia very much but I wanted to make sure that if anything happens to us she was taken care in the way that she’s used to. My sons at that point were not part of that house because it’s a recent purchase,” she continued.

She added, “It was Bella Mia’s third birthday and my husband and I wanted to leave her that house for her birthday.

Gunther IV: The German Shepherd who bought a villa from Madonna

(Action Press/REX/Shutterstock)
(Action Press/REX/Shutterstock)

The sole heir of the late German countess Karlotta Liebenstein, German Shepherd Gunther III came into a fortune of £43 million when the countess died in 1992.

Gunther then passed on the fortune - which had grown to £153 million - to his son Gunther IV, who reportedly bought an eight-bedroom villa in Miami from Madonna with his inheritance. Gunther’s money is managed by a group called The Burgundians, who presumably took care of all the paperwork - and make full use of the villa…

Gigoo: The chicken who inherited £11 million

(Pixabay)
(Pixabay)

In 2011 a chicken named Gigoo (not pictured here) inherited a fortune of £11 million when her owner, the publishing tycoon Miles Blackwell, passed away. Besides making sure Gigoo was well looked after (how much can you pimp a hen hut?) Blackwell also poured millions into a charitable trust for animal welfare.

Sadie, Sunny, Lauren, Layla and Luke: Oprah Winfrey’s dogs who have a reported £20 million trust fund

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If Oprah Winfrey - who is worth $2.5 billion - passes away before her dogs, they are reportedly set to benefit from a $30 million trust fund set up in their honour. Golden retrievers Luke and Layla, cocker spaniel Sadie, and springer spaniels Sunny and Lauren will be rolling in more than fox droppings.

Conchita: The Chihuahua who inherited a £5 million Miami mansion (plus £2.2 million in the bank for treats)

(SplashNews.com)
(SplashNews.com)

When heiress Gail Posner died in March 2010, her Chihuahua Conchita, plus two other dogs called April and Maria, inherited her £5 million Miami mansion. The decision led to a court battle from Posner’s son, filmmaker Bret Carr, who claimed Posner’s household staff (who had also come into £20 million) had brainwashed her.

Pontiac: Betty White’s golden retriever with a £3 million trust fund

This might be small fry compared to Gunther, but a sizeable amount money is reportedly being left to White’s golden retriever Pontiac - a generous retirement package for the former guide dog.

Trouble the Maltese: $8k grooming sessions and a bodyguard

Generic photo of a Maltese dog (Photo by Laura Dewilde on Unsplash)
Generic photo of a Maltese dog (Photo by Laura Dewilde on Unsplash)

When hotel heiress Leona Helmsley died in 2007, she shocked the world when she chose to leave $12 million to her dog Trouble - in comparison to the $5m each she gave to two of her grandchildren. Afterwards however, a judge cut down the amount Trouble was bequeathed to $2 million, which still left the dog with more than any canine should ever need.

While Trouble was initially supposed to be looked after by her brother after her death, he refused so she was flown by private jet to a new caretaker. As for how much of the money Trouble spent, her healthcare costs came to $100k per year, $8k for regular grooming sessions and $1.2k on dog food.

On top of that, ABC News reported that she also ended up having to employ a full time bodyguard after 20-30 death threats were levelled at the tiny white dog. Maltese died in 2011 and it was requested by Helmsley that she be buried in the 12,000ft Helmsley mausoleum beside her

Juice, Minter and Callum: Late designer Alexander 'Lee' McQueen’s English bull terriers

(Ken Towner/Evening Standard/REX/Shutterstock)
(Ken Towner/Evening Standard/REX/Shutterstock)

A committed animal lover, when fashion designer Alexander ‘Lee’ McQueen passed away in 2010 he left a chunk of his £16 million fortune to his english bull terriers - around £50,000. He also left £100,000 apiece to charities including Battersea Dogs and Cats home.

Choupette the Birman cat: Photoshoots and a nanny

Choupette by Karl Lagerfeld (Choupette by Karl Lagerfeld)
Choupette by Karl Lagerfeld (Choupette by Karl Lagerfeld)

It isn’t entirely clear what was bequeathed to Choupette after Karl Lagerfeld passed away, but it’s clear she’s still living a life of luxury. The famed cat now lives in Paris, according to Lagerfeld’s old housekeeper Françoise Caçote who said to the New York Times, “She lives with her nanny here in Paris. She is in good shape and is surrounded by love.

It turns out that Choupette actually does regular photoshoots and has an agent at My Pet Agency, who explained that they do “photos here for her Instagram account.” Prior to Lagerfeld’s death, it was reported that she had two caretakers, a bodyguard, chef and a doctor to look after her - though its unknown if she still retains the same impressive retinue

It sounds like she might not have even needed Lagerfeld’s fortunes, as her agent told the NYT “She has press demands every day, and some deals en route