Rich US dog hiding after threats

Trouble will one day be buried alongside its doting owner

A dog that inherited $12m (£5.8m) from late New York hotelier Leona Helmsley is in hiding after it was targeted by death threats, US media say.

Trouble, a white Maltese that belonged to the billionaire until her death in August, was flown by private jet to Florida, the New York Post reported.

It says the tiny bitch was whisked away under an assumed name after receiving about 20 threats.

Trouble is said to have earned a number of enemies due to its habit of biting.

She was taken to an undisclosed location in Florida two months ago, the newspaper said.

John Codey, who manages the dog's trust fund, told US television network CBS last week the cost of Trouble's security, medical care, chef-cooked meals and grooming was about $300,000 (£145,000) a year.

Dubbed the "Queen of Mean", Mrs Helmsley stipulated in her will that her beloved dog should be buried after its death beside her and her late husband Harry, who died in 1997.

When Trouble dies, any remaining money from the pet's trust will go to the charitable foundations that inherited most of the hotel magnate's estate.

Famous for pronouncing that "only the little people pay taxes", Mrs Helmsley died of heart failure in August, aged 87.