We’re used to documentaries about celebrities and the super-rich, like the upcoming Pamela: A Love Story or last year’s House of Maxwell, but what about the world’s richest dog?
One of Netflix’s upcoming documentaries for the first half of this year is Gunther’s Millions, which is all about a German Shepherd worth somewhere between $400-$500 million. The dog didn’t start up its own tech company or win the lottery: the truth is much shadier.
The trailer for Gunther’s Millions gives you an idea of the tale ahead within the first few seconds. The narration explains that a hugely wealthy countess, who when she died, passed everything she owned onto her beloved canine companion. The list of Gunther’s luxury holdings wouldn’t be amiss for a Russian oligarch: a yacht, several properties in Italy, and the service of 27 employees, including some of those whose voices are heard in the trailer. Gunther’s original owner died in 1992, and there’s been several Gunthers since who have inherited the wealth, the first being Gunther III and the latest being Gunther VI.
But unsurprisingly, a pooch (or pooches) with a wealth of around half a billion and not much way to defend itself is going to be vulnerable to being taken advantage of. Those close to the Gunther estate began to set up money-making schemes in connection to the dog. From a pop band (managed by Gunther, somehow) and an expansion of the estate, to even buying a mansion formerly owned by Madonna.
As the trailer continues, there’s an increasing implication that all is not as it seems: the group of people surrounding Gunther began to live and act with increasingly erratic behaviour, guided by 13 commandments that encouraged them to live a luxurious and frivolous lifestyle through the pet’s wealth. There are also suggestions that Gunther’s worth is not as high as is claimed, with accusations of fraud and even that the countess may not have even been wealthy in the first place.
Netflix promises that all this is only the start of the story, with the official synopsis of the show stating “as any good pup can tell you, it’s always worth digging a little deeper.” The trailer also ends with more questions than answers, with Gunther’s eccentric handler revealing in a hushed tone that “the dogs were cloned.” Intrigued? You’ll be able to find out the whole story when the doc lands on Netflix on 1st February.
By The Handbook
So Gunther how does it feel to be richer than most humans ….Woof!!!
