OHMIDOG! : Dogs miss out on most of Helmsley?s millions

Trustees of real estate baroness Leona Helmsley’s estate say they’re giving $136 million to charity — and*only $1 million of that is going*to the dogs.
Animal rights groups rejoiced last year at reports that Helmsley, who died in 2007 at age 87, wanted her entire multibillion-dollar fortune to go*to dog-related charities
But a court ruled in February that the trustees had*authority to decide which charities could receive funds. Apparently dogs — and Helmsley’s wishes — rated pretty low in the decision-making process. The judge’s decision did not affect the $12 million Helmsley bequeathed to her Maltese, Trouble.
Helmsley’s estate yesterday announced its first round of charitable grants. The largest, $40 million, went to New York’s*Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Most of the money went to health care systems across the country, Newsday reported today.
Helmsley’s estate distributed $1 million to 10 animal rights groups, including $100,000 to the ASPCA.


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