Gunther VI – For The Dog Who Has Everything

By Amy Fernandez

I’ll dispense with any explanations or excuses about gifts for dogs. That weird human habit devolved into a mainstream custom long ago. At this point, it ranks among predictable consumer expenditures long before Black Friday rolls around. That leaves us with the bigger question of what do you get for the dog who has everything. Before you start fretting about the perfect gift for that unconscious canine snoozing on your sofa, I need to tell you about Gunther.

Gunther VI to be precise. Like any fine purebred, Gunther descends from a long and notable lineage. Gunther who? No, Gunther never graced the pages of CC or earned his celebrity status via any conventional route. He didn’t need to bother. You see, Gunther was born into his enviable brand of fame. He is, by all estimates, the richest dog on the planet.

We’re all familiar with those stories about Leona Helmsley leaving 20 mil to her Maltese, Trouble and Karl Lagerfeld leaving ten times more to his cat. Any estate lawyer can confirm that such bequests are not too unusual. However, it never rises to the level of Gunther’s vast fortune, currently estimated to be upwards of half a billion dollars. For generations, the Gunther family fortune has been doing what big piles of money love to do, it just keeps cloning itself.

This one’s been at it for almost 40 years, but only recently snagged headlines thanks to the pending sale of his Miami estate. No, that wasn’t due to the $32 mil price tag, the sheer fabulousness of the place or the fact that it was once owned by Madonna. Still, you must admit to a bit of reader fascination on that aspect of the deal. Built in 1928, it currently features nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms, Mediterranean-style architecture, 8,400-square-feet of floor space and 100 feet of waterfront view.

You may ask why Gunther is unloading such a palatial property at a moment when real estate market is hot and getting hotter. Rest assured that he’s flipping it for a very, very nice profit. He’s lived there on and off for 20 years and … when you’ve got a dozen or so luxury homes, it’s no big deal.

Like the rest of his superrich cohorts, Gunther guards his privacy, but we do have a few key pieces of his back story. His current fortune began with a relatively modest $80 million dollar nest egg left to his grandsire, Gunther III, by his owner in 1992.

Now, Germany hasn’t actually had any royalty since Kaiser Wilhelm II departed over a century ago. However, during their long tenure running the country those royals amassed quite a mountain of bling. Gunther III’s departed owner, Countess Karlotta Leibenstein, descended from a complex legacy of families that ruled an assortment of German duchies and states. They decamped somewhat abruptly, but their legacy of castles, monuments remain a testament to their incredible power and wealth.

Karlotta, being the last of her line, went the route of Leona Helmsley leaving it all to her faithful German Shepherd, GuntherIII. Like all sensible rich people, Gunther employed excellent financial managers. Over the years they’ve invested wisely, with a focus on luxury real estate. The Madonna house is just one residence selected for him by the Gunther Corporation. Based in Italy and officially incorporated in the Bahamas, it’s no surprise that Gunther also owns some pretty deluxe crash pads in both those locations. A member of his staff, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed that he prefers his Mediterranean home above all others.

Don’t get the wrong idea. Gunther regularly visits each one of his global assortment of homes. Naturally, he travels aboard his private jet or one of several yachts and he’s occasionally been spotted at major league sports events and trendy night clubs- which also represent parts of his investment portfolio. A couple years back, he made news as the winning bidder on $1.1 million-dollar white truffle. Well, what do you expect, he’s rich. He’s also reported to be somewhat vain, owning an impressive collection of commissioned portraits of himself by famous artists. German royals have a long tradition of that too. Each of his homes also features an identical huge, round plush red velvet bed. (Dogs can be picky about that stuff.). He also enjoys lounging around the pool as his personal chef whips up one of his favorites. He’s also savvy enough to offset inevitable criticism about his decadent jet set lifestyle with the obligatory charitable component, the Gunther Animal Rescue Society.

At this point, Gunther has expressed no interest in dog shows or formal competition, citing time constraints. But you never know. Meanwhile, get busy on that Christmas list for Fifi. Once she sees this story a new sweater and a box of biscuits definitely won’t cut it this year.

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=217790

Posted by Jane Alston-Myers on Dec 13 2021. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.