Fact or Fiction: A Well-To-Do Canine Is Selling Madonna’s Former Miami Mansion
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This story has all the makings of a blockbuster: Money. Celebrity. Intrigue. Duplicity. And here’s the clincher: The protagonist is a German Shepherd named Gunther III.
Turns out, the aforementioned pooch inherited some $80 million from its beloved owner, countess Karlotta Liebenstein back in 1992. Over the past three decades, Gunther and his heirs have amassed an uber-impressive real estate portfolio — including the newly-listed $31.75 million Miami mansion once owned by pop culture icon Madonna.
Our sources are reliable. Last week, Architectural Digest reported that the luxe nine-bedroom waterfront estate belongs to Gunther VI (great-grandson of Gunther III, if you’re keeping track). Compass Realtor Ruthie Assouline holds the listing.
“We have sold countless multimillion dollar homes, but this is definitely a first,” she said.
We also learned that Gunther VI spends most of his time at his primary residence in Tuscany. It’s when he’s in the states that he calls the 8,400-square-foot, Tuscan-style manse home. Days are spent by the pool, nights in Madonna’s former bedroom, cuddled up in a custom-made Italian red velvet bed.
Kudos to Gunther and his family’s handlers, who have invested wisely in myriad sectors: real estate, publishing, sports teams, and nightlife, among others. Today, the well-to-do canine is worth nearly a half-billion dollars.
“Gunther lives better than most of us — traveling by yacht and private jet, dining on prime rib and caviar, and collecting sports cars the way other dogs collect bones,” according to AD.
So much for the money, celebrity, and intrigue. But before we get to the duplicity, let’s take a look at the property at hand.
Situated on 1.2 acres, the gated manse is one of only six in this exclusive enclave. Selling points include 100-feet of water frontage, a private dock, spectacular bay views, and lush landscaping.
Inside, there’s a grand coral staircase, spacious kitchen, and a great room with intricate custom woodwork. An added bonus: Gunther’s gold-frame portrait sitting on top of the fireplace.
“There is an incredible energy with beautiful original elements that can’t be replicated,” said Assouline.
The savvy Realtor had us believing — that is until we ran across this article in the New York Post headed: “No, stupid: A dog isn’t really selling Madonna’s former Florida mansion.”
It gets better. “This is a totally made-up story,” said a person with direct knowledge of the deal. “The broker is talking nonsense. There is no dog. There never was a dog. The owner thought it would be a fun way to score a reality TV show. That’s it.”
According to the Post, the real owner is mega-wealthy 65-year-old Italian entrepreneur, Maurizio Mian. When asked about Gunther, he responded: “It’s complicated.” Indeed.
Assouline claims she was unaware that the dog was not the owner:
“At first I thought it was insane, but I saw that other people left money to their pets … How could it be an illusion? I see photos and I google things — Gunther went to an auction and bought a $1.1 million truffle. There is so much information and so much history.”
Whatever her intentions, you have to hand it to Assouline. Even the Today Show picked up the story—in our eyes, a major coup, fact or fiction.
