Leona Helmsley left animals up to $8 billion.

Posted Thursday, July 3, 2008, 2:12 p.m., EST

A hotelier and real estate magnate’s multi-billion dollar fortune may go the dogs.

Leona Helmsley, who died August 2007 at age 87, left her riches to her Maltese, Trouble, and for the care of dogs in general, according to a story published in the New York Times.

Her wishes, outlined in a “mission statement,” are that the entire trust, worth $5 billion to $8 billion, benefits dogs.

The trustees could fulfill her goal of helping dogs by financing veterinary schools or research on canine diseases. A spokesman for the executors of Helmsley’s estate told the Times they did not want to comment on the statement because they were still working to determine the trust’s direction. <HOME>