Archive for December 12th, 2011
Once a stray, this cat’s worth $13 million
Tommasino, once a stray roaming Rome, is now the richest cat in the world.
With the death of his owner Maria Assunta, who took him in off the streets, Tommasino inherits, kind of, her $13.3 milliion fortune.
Assunta, the childless widow of a wealthy builder, initially tried to find an animal welfare association that would take care of the cat after her death, the Telegraph reports.
But none, in her view, provided adequate assurances for his future, according to her lawyer.
Instead, Assunta — 94 when she died last month — bequeathed her entire estate to Tomassino, and appointed a fellow cat lover as a trustee. The millionaire cat is now living at an undisclosed location outside Rome with that trustee, who is being identified only as “Stefania.”
Under Italian law, animals cannot inherit directly, but can be named beneficiaries once a trustee is found.
According to news reports, Assunta met Stefania in a park, and sometimes the two got their cats together for play dates. Stefania, a nurse, also went on to help take care of Assunta.
“She was very discreet and quite, I knew very little of her private life,” Stefania said.
“I promised her that I would look after the cat when she was no longer around. She wanted to be sure that (he) would be loved and cuddled.”
The Telegraph reports that only two other animals have inherited more money than Tommasino.
The world’s richest animal is believed to be Gunter, a German shepherd who was left $138 million by heiress Karlotta Liebenstien. Kalu, a chimpanzee, was the beneficiary of $61 million bequeathed by Patricia O’Neill, wife of former Australian swimming champion Frank O’Neill.
(Photo: That’s Tommasino at the bottom; Sky News)
Posted by jwoestendiek December 12th, 2011 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animals, bequeathed, cat, estate, inheritance, inherited, inherits, italy, maria assunta, millionaire, pets, richest, rome, stefania, stray, tommasino, trustee, wealth, will
Comments: none
Florida hunter shot by dog
Another hunter has been shot by his own hunting dog.
Billy E. Brown, 78, was on a hunting trip near Wesley Chapel, Florida, when his dog triggered a loaded rifle. He was shot in the thigh and remains hospitalized, in critical condition, after surgery.
Authorities said Brown and a fellow hunter were driving down a rough road in a pickup truck, with Brown’s dog, Eli, sitting between them. Eli got excited and bumped a Browning .308-caliber rifle, which discharged.
Brown is general manager and executive vice president of the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative.
Just over a week ago, a duck hunter in Utah was shot when his dog triggered a 12-gauge shotgun resting in his boat.
Posted by jwoestendiek December 12th, 2011 under Muttsblog, videos.
Tags: accidents, animals, billy brown, critical, dog, dog shoots hunter, dogs, eli, florida, hunter, hunting, hunting dogs, loaded, pets, pickup, rifle, safety, shot, surgery, triggered, truck, wesley chapel
Comments: none
Hunting dog seized in Reno is doing fine; owner says baggage handler over-reacted
The hunting dog that a baggage handler refused to load aboard a plane in Reno because of her concerns about his health is back with his owner in Texas and doing fine, animal control officers say.
The dog’s owner, who has not been publicly identified, will not face charges, said animal control officers in Corpus Christi. Officers there checked on the dog, a pointer named Tex, and talked to his owner last week, according to the Corpus Christi Caller.
The owner told them he thought the baggage handler had over-reacted.
Lynn Jones refused to put the dog on an airplane bound for Texas on Nov. 12 because he appeared emaciated, had cuts and sores on his body and paws and seemed listless.
Her supervisor at Reno-Tahoe International Airport fired her, but her employer, Saint Louis-based Airport Terminal Services, rehired her last week after reviewing the incident.
The dog was seized and turned over to Washoe County animal control and treated by a Reno veterinarian. Four days later, Tex was shipped back to Texas, according to the Reno Gazette Journal
The Reno veterinarian who treated Tex said his wounds and weary state could have been explained by a hard day of hunting.
“I was told he was (bird) hunting near Gerlach for a week, and what I saw was consistent with a dog that has been worked very hard,” Dr. Diana Lucreer said. “These dogs get almost psychotic when they are out there working; they will run and run through anything. His paws were cut up, and he had cuts on his body.”
The dog was checked by another veterinarian upon his return to Corpus Christi.
Posted by jwoestendiek December 12th, 2011 under Muttsblog.
Tags: airport terminal services, animal control, animal welfare, animals, baggage handler, checked, corpus christi, dog, dogs, fired, hunter, hunting, hunting dog, lethargic, load, lynn jones, nevada, pets, pointer, refused, rehired, reno, sores, tex, texas, treated, veterinarian, washoe county
Comments: 5
Bloodied dog leads police in Chicago to owner who had kicked it out of the house
A Chicago woman who said she “no longer wanted” her dog was charged with animal abuse over the weekend after her bleeding dog led police to her doorstep.
Police said they responded to an animal abuse call of children beating a dog with broomsticks and baseball bats.
The children fled when police arrived, and the dog, a terrier mix, walked back to the home it had been put out of, in East Garfield Park, and scratched on the door, according to Chicago Tribune.
Officers said the dog’s owner, Lashon Parks, 42, hadn’t been giving the animal water or food and had left it outside in temperatures below 25-degrees for an unidentified amount of time.
Parks told officers that she owned the dog for ten years but no longer wanted it.
She was charged with failure to comply with an animal owner’s duties and cruelty to animals, both misdemeanors.
The dog was in stable condition, according to an Animal Care & Control official.
Posted by jwoestendiek December 12th, 2011 under Muttsblog.
Tags: abandoned, abuse, abused, animal cruelty, animals, bats, beating, bloody, broomsticks, charged, chicago, children, cruelty to animals, dog, dogs, door, kicked out, pets, police, scratched
Comments: 1
























































