The German Shepherd, heir to the Günther dynasty, is the richest dog in the world thanks to the last will of his “ancestor,” Countess Karlotta von Liebenstein.
On Wednesday the 17th, at the Barattieri Refuge in Arzago d’Adda, the official act of adoption was carried out for another shepherd, Cindy, a female rescued from a situation of mistreatment and abandonment.
The volunteers at the Barattieri Refuge in Arzago d’Adda had appealed for a family to adopt Cindy, a young female wolf-like dog. However, it was not a family but another dog that adopted her. Günther VI, the world’s wealthiest dog, will soon become the first animal in history to adopt another animal.
Cindy was adopted at the Barattieri Refuge on Wednesday, April 17.
Günther VI, managing a millionaire trust fund, chose to adopt Cindy from the refuge operated by the Gaia Animali & Ambiente and Diamoci la Zampa associations. Cindy, almost a year old and from the south, was rescued from a situation of mistreatment and isolation. Gentle and loving, she had a welcoming family until a change occurred when the couple caring for her had a baby and decided to confine her to a dark basement. This sad fate was changed when Gaia Animali & Ambiente intervened and brought her to their refuge.
Following an announcement by the association in hopes of finding a home for Cindy, the Günther Trust, which manages the fortune of the richest animal in the world, intervened. This led to Cindy finding her “Prince Charming,” turning what usually happens in fairy tales into reality. On Wednesday, Günther VI will leave his grand villa in Tuscany with his personal driver in an SUV, arriving at the refuge around 3:30 PM, where Cindy will receive a refined high-fashion collar. Before leaving with her, the famous German Shepherd will donate a substantial supply of food to the animals housed at the refuge.
According to the Ultimate Pet Rich List by All About Cats, as cited by major international news sites including Forbes, Günther VI is the world’s richest animal, ranking ahead of Taylor Swift’s cat, Olivia Benson, and Oprah Winfrey’s dogs, Sadie, Sunny, Lauren, Layla, and Luke. To date, Günther VI owns a yacht, a villa in the Bahamas, a BMW, and several properties in Italy. He employs 27 people, including a personal driver, a chef, and a personal trainer, and his fortune is staggering.
Günther’s lineage was fortuitously blessed and designated in the will of the German Countess Karlotta Von Liebenstein.
She chose Günther III, adopted during a stay in Tuscany, as the beneficiary of her immense fortune. Struck by the dog’s name, which was the same as her son who had previously died in a car accident, the countess spent her final years with the beloved German Shepherd, and upon her death, everything was transferred to a trust that designates the dog and its lineage as the sole heirs. The fortune is managed by the Günther Trust, which is also responsible for the care of the Günther lineage.
After Günther III, his descendant Günther IV set a Guinness World Record as the world’s richest dog, purchased Madonna’s villa in Miami (held by the operational arm of the Trust, the Günther Corporation, for over 21 years), and has been the president and owner of major Italian soccer teams like Pisa.
The Günther Corporation has been active since the 1990s and has a dedicated entry on the international version of Wikipedia. Among its numerous activities to fulfill the wishes of the namesake Trust, a four-part Netflix series titled “The Millions of Günther” reveals a series of experiments – likely beyond the ethical limits set by official science – involving carefully selected young individuals who interact, are stimulated, and closely monitored. The latest known venture of the Corporation is its participation in producing the song “The Real Sassy” by Swedish singer Günther, an anthem to love.
