Trouble Helmsley
Trouble Helmsley, a Maltese, inherited a $12 million dollar trust fund when her hotel mogul owner, Leona
passed. Trouble is hand-fed her meals, wears designer clothing, and goes for limousine rides. Upon Trouble's
death, she is to be buried in the Helmsley mausoleum, next to Leona's remains. The mausoleum must be
steam-cleaned once a year and has a lovey view for visitors. Trouble is certainly not living a dog's
life!
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Lassie
It may come to a surprise that the dog who played Lassie on television was actually a male. "Pal" was
bred many times so that the Lassie line could continue. They used males to play Lassie because they
have a thicker coat, which looks better on the screen. The producers of Lassie made sure to cover Pal's
privates during shooting, because Lassie was supposed to be a female. Lassie made $250 each week and
was transported in style to shoot scenes in Monterrey, California. His earnings were initially put into
insurance to protect him against traveling accidents, bomb threats, etc.
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Spuds Mackenzie
Spuds Mackenzie, the eternal Budweiser party dog was actually a female Bull Terrier. Spuds, actual name
"Honey Tree Evil Eye" lived the life complete with a bevy of models on his side called "The Spudettes"
and starred in Budweiser commercials. To conceal Spuds' true gender, Budweiser officials covered the
dog with their jackets in public when nature called, as not to reveal her secret.
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Flipper
Flipper, America's beloved dolphin, was in fact played by five different dolphins, all female. The "main"
Flipper was a female dolphin named Susie. There was only one dolphin that could perform Flipper's famous
tail-walk. Flipper's voice was actually a doctored sound of a Kookaburra bird song. Interestingly enough,
dolphins like Flipper sleep by letting one half of their brain fall asleep at a time, otherwise, they
would suffocate if they fell into a deep sleep.
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Tinkerbell
Hotel heiress, Paris Hilton is notorious for pampering her animals, particularly her Chihuahua, Tinkerbell.
Tinkerbell is fed gourmet food, and in fact, a used can of it fetched $305 on eBay. Tinkerbell dons
jeweled collar charms, designer clothes and has scheduled house calls for hair appointments and deep
tissue massages. Tinkerbell is carted around in a $1,800 dollar Louis Vuitton pet carrier bag. Talk
about a doggie bag!
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Mister Ed
Mister Ed, the talking Palomino horse played a good friend and mischievous mystery to his owner, Wilbur.
To make Mister Ed's lips move, his trainer would attach a nylon fishing thread underneath his lip, moving
them up and down. Mister Ed's real name was "Bamboo Harvester" who was a show horse before landing the
television gig that changed his life and America's forever.
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Siegfried & Roy's Tigers
At home in Las Vegas, Siegfried & Roy's White Tigers live in an open-air habitat, complete with swimming
pools, fountains and man-made mountainous terrain. When they are not in this habitat, they are taken
to roam around and play in wide-open spaces in the countryside. White Tiger's are quite rare, approximately
1 in 10,000. In a natural environment, their white color works against them, as stripes and darker colors
help them blend in with their surroundings while hunting. These Tigers draw in $45 million dollars annually
for their shows at the Mirage Hotel & Casino.
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Oprah's Dogs
She refers to them as "little people with fur". Oprah owns 5 dogs: Cocker Spaniels and Golden Retrievers.
These dogs have their own chefs who prepare ground lamb with brown rice and vegetables for meals. Should
these dogs outlive their famous owner, they will inherit a $30 million dollar trust fund. They have
their own trainers and walkers to play with on all 42 acres of Oprah's sprawling $51 million dollar
property in Montecito, California.
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