Pet dog inherits million dollars from owner

New York: A 60-year-old woman in the US has willed a million-dollar fortune consisting of jewellery, a trust fund and vacation home to her pet dog. Rose Ann Bolasny from New York has decided to leave her valuables to her pet Maltese terrier named Bella Mia.

"We decided that we had given her such a lavish life that we wanted to make sure she'd still have what she was accustomed to when I was gone," Bolasny was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

"Yes, we pamper her, but Bella Mia has really donated and volunteered more than her time in her short 3 years of living that most people have done in a lifetime," she said.

And her two sons, Louis, 38, and Robert, 32 do not have a problem at all with their mother giving her dog a mountain of wealth along with a home she bought last April in Port St Lucie.

"They feel fine, because they're getting more than Bella Mia," Bolasny explained.

"My children are grown, and successful. They don't need my money. They know how happy she has made my husband and I," she said.

She describes her white-haired pooch as a "gift from God" and a full-fledged diva who fancies filet mignon and dons extravagant outfits, which include a Cinderella princess dress, an over-the-top peacock gown and diamond-studded tiaras.

Bolasny and her precious pup have taken the dog world by storm, winning countless fashion shows, kick-starting an online social media campaign and even modelling on numerous morning TV shows.

Bella Mia took home the top prize for prettiest pup at the 2014 Puppy Prom, Bolasny said. She also became the first dog to win the New York Pet Fashion Show two years in a row, taking the crown in 2013 and 2014.

Bella Mia has become a staple in her community as she does charity work around town each week at nursing homes and hospitals.