There is a story circulating about a German Shepard who is selling his Miami mansion. The asking price is 31 million and some change. It would easy to dismiss the story as silly shit and move on. To do so is to miss the point. Even the writer of the article seems to have missed the lesson.
https://news.yahoo.com/millionaire-german-shepherd-dog-selling-164036235.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Gunther the VI is the recipient of a 500 million dollar trust fund.
The dog’s wealth can be traced back to his ancestor, Gunter III, according to handlers who manage the estate, per AP. Gunther III inherited millions of dollars from his owner, German countess Karlotta Liebenstein, who died in 1992, per AP.
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Carla Riccitelli, one of Gunther’s caretakers, told AP that she’s part of a board that oversees the trust. The board makes decisions about when to buy and sell real estate in the trust, per AP.
The German shepherd, whose main home is in Tuscany, joins in with the real estate agents’ meetings, travels on private jets, and has meals cooked by a chef, Riccitelli told AP.
The story of Gunther VI is the story of welfare. The ultimate recipient of wealth provided by the taxpayers or Gunther VI’s trust fund is not the down and out or same mangy mutt. The ultimate beneficiaries are those acting in the “best interests” of the largess.
Gunther VI is a dog. Give him half a chance and he will pass up the crystal water dish in order to drink out of the toilet. A house in the south of France? Dining in the finest restaurants? Gunter VI could be just as happy in a mobile home, with a chewed up tennis ball in south Texas. The bottom line is where Gunther VI goes, so goes his caretakers.
Gunther VI doesn’t know how to make commercial airline reservations. Come to think of it neither do his guardians. They make up for that lack with their ability to find a charter jet. Gunter VI can’t figure out how to operate a can opener. That’s okay his keepers have four star restaurants on speed dial.
A cop I once worked with had a three or four mutts. He and the mutts lived in a mobile home set on several acres. Normally the dogs were in and out of the residence. As summer approached the opted to remain outside. The spent the day under the mobile home. He figured they were looking for shade.
As the summer heat descended on South Texas. His wife complained that the air conditioner was acting up. The air conditioner was running all the time but didn’t seem to cool the bedrooms. He called “the guy” to fix the problem. There wasn’t anything wrong with the air conditioning unit. The dogs climbed under the house, pulled down the floor insulation to create a den, disconnected the flexible duct and redirected it into their den. It is the simple things that make life bearable.
Gunther VI is one dog that will never have to worry about being neutered.
Yup, in order to take care of the less fortunate sacrifices have to be made. It’s a dirty job. But somebody has to do it.
