A Dog's Life Worth Millions

Who wants to lead a dog's life? One woman in Beverly Hills might: the life of her cocker spaniel, Samantha.
Actually, Marie Dana wants a bite out of the $5 million estate willed to the 15-year-old pooch, reports Correspondent Jonathan Elias of CBS Station KCBS-TV in Los Angeles.

Samantha belonged to Dana's live-in companion and fiance, Sidney Altman. Altman and Dana lived together for six years. The will was written before they became engaged.

When she found the will, Dana says, she was "shocked and surprised."

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Altman was 60 years old when he died two years ago. According to the terms of his handwritten will, Dana gets $60,000 a year for taking care of Samantha.

Altman made it clear that if his dog dies, everything gets cut off, and all the money goes to charity. Those circumstances make Dana's life a bit "edgy." She says, "The idea that I can wake up, and the dog might not be with us...kinda living day-to-day like that..."

Says her attorney, Cary Goldstein, "We're fighting for the house. We're fighting for what amounts to ongoing support."

In her lawsuit, Dana asks that she and Samantha split the $5 million equally. Next month, a judge will decide if her bone of contention has any legal merit.

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