Bitch is More Trouble Than She's Worth

Hotel operator Leona Helmsley died earlier this year, leaving a portion of her large estate to her dog. Her chauffeur, Nicholas Celea, received $100,000 for his time with Helmsley.

When Helmsley died last August and left $12 million to her tiny Maltese, Trouble, the last will and testament only reinforced the urban legend that she didn't care much for humans. It came as little surprise that there would be hostility towards the dog. But death and kidnapping threats seem a little extreme.

"I think the reaction was really quite bizarre," Helmsley's longtime friend John Codey told Early Show national correspondent Tracy Smith. Codey is in charge of the pampered pooch and her trust fund. He said he was alarmed by the number of threats and estimates that Trouble received about 20 or 30.

"'I'm gonna kill the dog,'" he said people threatened. "'I'm gonna kidnap the dog. I need the $12 million.'"

We can't help but wonder if Codey had supervised Helmsley the way he does now that pooch if she could have avoided that whole tax evasion problem way back when. "Pay your taxes like a good girl. Atta girl. You're the best employer in the whole, wide world."

[CBS News]