Pets Inherit From Owner’s Estates

There has been an increase in the number of families who are contesting wills over money left to pets and animal charities.  In some cases, children are left out of their parents’ wills in favor of charities–many times animal charities.

Some examples of rich pets are below: 

Ella Wendel’s Poodle Toby: Ella Wendel is an American heiress who died in 1931, leaving an estimated $15 million of her family’s estate to Toby.  The rest of her wealth went to churches and charities.

Maria Assunta’s cat Tommaso: Maria left $13 million to her cat that she rescued after she found him roaming the streets of Rome.  

Leona Helmsley’s Maltese Trouble: Leona was a New York property tycoon and hotelier who left $12 million to Trouble when she died.  She also stipulated that her entire $8 billion trust should be used to care for the care and welfare of dogs. 

Alexander McQueen’s dogs Minter, Juice and Callum: The fashion designer’s will put £50,000 into a trust for his dogs. 

Awaiting inheritance: Oprah Winfrey’s dogs: Oprah has set aside over $30 million in a trust fund for her four dogs and various other pets. 

See Hannah Osborne, Leaving Pets a Fortune Causes Family Fur To Fly, International Business Times, Jan. 19, 2013Three-Fold Rise in RelativesSeeking to Challenge Legacies Left to Animal Charities, Pannone Solicitors,Jan. 21, 2013.