I wish I had those Troubles

There is still some controversy about Trouble's billions.

Trouble, you will recall, is the Maltese pooch to whom Leona Helmsley left a lot of cash.

A Manhattan judge ruled Wednesday the $5 billion estate can be distributed to people, places and things other than dog-related charities.

Here is the story from the N.Y. Daily News.

The luxury hotel queen, who died at age 87 in August 2007, famously left $12 million in her will to her tiny Maltese, Trouble, while freezing out two of her grandchildren.

A judge last year trimmed Trouble's trust fund to $2 million, while providing $6 million to her two disowned grandchildren.

They charged she wasn't mentally competent when she signed the will.

Trouble, who lives in Sarasota, Fla., now, has annual expenses totaling about $300,000, including $210,000 of round-the-clock protection.

Funny, Kate manages very well on less.

Where's your retirement fund? In Kongs?

The Associated Press has an article about pet owners not cutting back on spending for their companion animals during increasingly tough economic times.

According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans will spend an estimated $43.4 billion this year on everything from treats to training for their pets — 26 percent higher than in 2004.

"Backing that up is a poll earlier this year in ShopSmart, a publication from Consumer Reports, which says female shoppers are more likely to buy cheaper brands of everything from medication to milk, but are digging in their heels when it comes to switching to less-expensive pet food and personal care items.

"Some parts of the pet food industry, particularly gourmet and organic pet food, will likely be even more insulated than the sellers of pet carriers, clothing and outdoor gear."

The food I can understand. Kate doesn't do well over the long term on any food that contains corn-based products so I've had to switch her permanently to a veterinarian-prescribed, and pricey, food.

And with the recent spate of pet-food recalls (see this one from yesterday), it makes even more sense that people are hesitant to switch pet diets.

But I was feeling extravagent a couple of weeks ago when I bought Kate a new bed from BJ's to replace one that was several years old — and looked it.