Queen of Mean leaves $8 billion to the dogs

Leona Helmsley's reputation for her dealing with her fellow man is, let's just say, not the best. She spent time in the pen for tax evasion and, in an incident recounted by famed attorney Alan Dershowitz, treated a waiter rather rudely: he brought her tea and a tiny bit dripped onto the saucer, and Ms. Helmsley pick up the cup, smashed it on the floor, and demanded that he get down on his knees and beg for his job.

But the Associated Press is reporting that she has left $8 billion -- the bulk of her fortune -- to be used to help care for dogs. Her trustees will decide the specifics of how the money is spent.

Her less than kind reputation aside, her gift is many, many times the total annual giving for dogs in the entire world -- $8 billion will change the world for dogs. If you're a lover of dogs, you have to consider Ms. Helmsley a hero.