It’s one thing when your neighbor makes more than you, but it is pretty tough to swallow when you find out his dog is in a higher tax bracket than your household. Believe it or not, that is the case with many pampered pooches around the world that have either inherited their wealth from eccentric owners, currently live a lavish lifestyle thanks to celebrity owners, or earned it the old fashioned way – climbing up the Hollywood food chain.

However they achieved their lofty status, the following are some of the wealthiest pets in the world, and how they got that way.

Tinkerbell (Chihuahua – Lavish Lifestyle)
Tinkerbell is just an ordinary Chihuahua who happens to be the property and B.F.F. of one Paris Hilton. Never heard of her? She’s an heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune who occasionally gets her name in the local papers. Tinkerbell wears jewelry that would make Mr. T blush and is known to gallivant around Beverly Hills wearing five-figure Louis Vutton collars and accessories.

The Taco Bell chihuahua, Gidget was one of the most memorable advertising mascots of our time. His punch line “yo quiero taco bell,” which means I want Taco Bell in Spanish was a smash hit! People all over the United States would be saying this demanding Taco Bell. Unfortunetely Gidget past away in 2005 due to cancer. Below is a classic video of Gidget in action:

Lassie was another hollywood celebrity dog who swept us off our feet everytime she was on that screen! Lassie had her own show and look including looks of sable coat with a white blaze, large white collar, and four white paws. Her show started in the early 1950’s, won two Emmy Awards, and was strong for nearly 50 years.

Trouble Helmsley
(Maltese – Trust Fund Baby)
Trouble was the one, true friend of Leona Helmsley, a wealthy heiress herself who during her life had trouble getting along with anything on two legs. Upon Leona’s death in 2007, Trouble received a $12 million trust fund that includes luxury accommodations and round-the-clock servants. When Trouble dies, she is to be buried next to Ms. Helmsley in the family mausoleum.

Oprah Winfrey’s Dogs (Spaniels and Retrievers – Lavish Lifestyle)
Talk about living! The richest woman in the world has five dogs – Spaniels and Retrievers – who enjoy an incredibly high-end lifestyle at Ms. Winfrey’s estates.

Flossie (Yellow Labrador – Heiress-in-Waiting)
Flossie is a Yellow Lab owned by actress Drew Barrymore. Flossie earned a place in Barrymore’s multi-million dollar will when she awoke the actress and then boyfriend Tom Green during a fire in their Hollywood home. Barrymore, quick to recognize a good deed when she sees one, ordered her attorneys to leave the house to Flossie upon her death. The home is valued at three million dollars.

Gunther IV (German Shepherd – Trust Fund)
Countess Karlotta Liebenstein was a true dog lover. So much so that when she died she left her $124 million fortune to her German Shepherd Gunther IV (Gunther I – III? Not so lucky.) The value of the estate has now grown to $374 million – which makes Gunther the richest dog in the world.

Mister Ed (Horse – TV Star)
Nobody had ever heard of a talking horse, until Mr. Ed rolled into American living rooms in the 1960’s. Although his verbal skills were the work of audio dubbing and some Hollywood sleight of hand, Mr. Ed make millions for his handlers, who in turn made sure that the horse lived a life of equine luxury until his passing of natural causes.

Kalu (Chimpanzee – Trust Fund)
Kalu was rescued from the South African jungle by the wife of Australian swimming great Frank O’Neil and bequeathed the couple’s $60 million dollar estate. One has to wonder if Frank had any say in the matter – he never cared much for Kalu after catching the chimp smoking one of his cigarettes and drinking a beer.

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Tags: flossie, gidget, gunther IV, Kalu, lassie, Mister Ed, oprah's dogs, taco belle chihuahua, tinkerbell, trouble helmsley

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 4:31 pm and is filed under Dog Humor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.