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It is a story that one would rather imagine reading on a satirical site, but which was related on November 18 by the very serious American press agency AP.
A ” Wealthy Dog Sells His Miami Villa That Previously Belonged To Madonna “. Named Gunther VI, the German Shepherd is said to have inherited his fortune from his grandfather, Gunther IV, the dispatch from Associated Press, taken up by many American media, including the public radio NPR. The transaction was not decided by the animal, specify for all intents and purposes the media, but by the fund in charge of managing his fortune.
The articles also note this detail: a portrait of the illustrious ancestor of the dog even adorns one of the many chimneys of the building, estimated at nearly 32 million dollars. It all dates back to the death of the German Countess Karlotta Liebenstein in 1992, who would have bequeathed her fortune to her dog and his descendants.
Alas, this funny story is pure invention. There is no trace of this countess, and the house does not belong to Gunther VI but to Gunther Corp, an Italian company that offers, among other things, luxury real estate.
The news agency finally admitted that she had been fooled by a communication stunt from Italian entrepreneur Maurizio Mian, linked to Gunther Corp. Which is not his first attempt. In 99, the Miami Herald had already written that the dog Gunther was looking to buy a villa from actor Sylvester Stallone. Before explaining the next day that it was in fact an advertising campaign. In 95 the serial joker had recognized in an Italian newspaper that the story of the countess was invented from scratch, with the sole aim of promoting her activities. By taking advantage of the credulity of certain media.
Find Detox Monday to Thursday, on the show 28 minutes on Arte, presented by Elisabeth Quin.
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