The pets shall inherit the earth: Almost a defense of Gail Posner. Guest Blog by Janet Goodman

Janet Goodman, dog trainer with "Good Dog Bad Dog":
This saga is an extreme example of what is universal law amongst Miami’s wealthy: Thou shall pamper thy pooches.

A local story made the national news on June 17 with The Wall Street Journal article, “Little Dog, Large Estate” by Mark Maremont and Leslie Scism. The piece cast a spotlight on the late Miami heiress Gail Posner’s will, in which she left a $3 million trust fund to care for her three beloved dogs. In life, Posner had admittedly spoiled her Chihuahua Conchita with a $15,000 Cartier diamond necklace, and along with the dog’s sisters, she even gave them their own Cadillac Escalade. So what’s the big deal? Leaving her pets the $8.3 million Miami Beach mansion, caretakers and the trust fund for life seems reasonable enough to me. They’re used to the first-rate primping, so why not allow them to continue with their expected high standards of existence, even after Posner’s death this past March?

Oh, no, the family can’t allow that to happen. Posner’s will is being contested by her only living child (he was left a measly $1 million), who is accusing lawyers, body guards, housekeepers and assistants of conspiring to steal his mother’s fortune (her staff was left a hefty $26 million in the will).

This pooch has a private bedroom. I say: "Hey, why not?" Often it’s just two people living in a complex with 8 bedrooms or more; they’ve got the extra bedrooms. Most of the time, the extravagance has a purpose. For example, take these doggie strollers:

At first glance, they appear to be baby carriages, and those pushing them are treating their charges like infants. But on closer examination, you will find that most seaside condos require dogs to be taken in and out of buildings via the enclosed strollers. The condo board of directors doesn’t want dogs to be jumping up on residents in the elevators, or pooping in the corridors; sounds sensible to me.

This saga is an extreme example of what is universal law amongst Miami’s wealthy:
Thou shall pamper thy pooches. They are able to afford the best for their companions, so if it comes down to a bath with the backyard garden hose or a day at the spa, they’re obviously going to choose the spa every time. Is it Purina Dog Chow or California Natural?

A dog having its own car – that’s a more common practice than you might think. Why mess up the Bentley when you take the Golden Retriever to a Key Biscayne beach? Most families have more than one car anyway. Give the rich folks a break already.

The blogosphere and late night television are having a dump-fest about the Posner story, as they did when real estate mogul Leona Helmsley left millions to her dog when she passed away. True, these heiresses may treat their pets better than some people, but it’s no joke how the well-to-do go out of their way to help animals. Do we laugh when they donate millions to local animal shelters? These sometimes eccentric animal lovers are the generous philanthropists who give away fortunes to help furry friends in need. Let’s at least give them kudos for that.

If we’re being honest here, we’ve all had secret daydream shopping sprees, asking ourselves what we would buy if we had the money. If I had an extra million to throw around, I’d hire my own private UPS man to make “deliveries” at my house every 30 minutes in order to give my dog more exercise. There’s nothing Bo wants more than to finally get a hold of that man in brown. He’d be the happiest pup on the block. That would be worth the million, don’t you think? Oh, did I tell you that in this daydream, BP’s Tony Hayward is now working for UPS and he’s walking up with the package. I think this time I’ll let Bo answer the door.