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Lawsuit filed in New York over handling of dachshund's $100,000 trust fund

By Ben Hooper
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NEW YORK, July 29 (UPI) -- The caretaker for a New York dachshund is suing the executor of the dog's late owner's estate over a $100,000 trust fund meant for the canine.

Virginia Hanlon, who inherited stewardship of dachshund Winnie Pooh when Patricia Bowers died in 2010, said her late friend designated $100,000 of her estate for the care of the dog, which is now 7 years old.

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However, she said she has received only a few $10 checks for Winnie Pooh's care, despite the dog incurring about $6,000 in annual expenses.

Hanlon blames Harriet Harkavy, the executor of Bowers' estate, for being stingy with Winnie Pooh's money. She said the dog required $5,775 emergency orthopedic surgery last year and a reimbursement check from Harkavy initially bounced.

"The unavailability of funds, however brief, causes me great concern," Hanlon said in court papers.

She said she was eventually reimbursed with a check that cleared.

Hanlon said she believes Harkovy is trying to win points with her social circle by saving the money to be donated to the Animal Medical Center in Sutton Place after Winnie Pooh's death.

"What a coup that would have been for Ms. Harkavy," Hanlon wrote in a court filing. "She would have been feted and lauded amongst her Sutton Place friends for advancing the payment for the sake of the charity."

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The lawsuit is seeking financial records for Winnie Pooh's trust and back pay for the canine's care.

Harkavy told the New York Post that Hanlon has "gotten everything she should by law and by the terms of the trust."

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