Was Countess Karlotta Liebenstein a real person?

One of Netflix’s weirder documentaries is coming to the streaming service this February. Gunther’s millions is the crazy story of the world’s richest dog and his “iconic” entourage, led by caretaker Maurizio Mian, an Italian businessman and heir to a pharmaceutical empire.

The story begins with the German countess Karlotta Liebenstein. When Liebenstein passed away in 1992, she left her $80 million fortune to her beloved German shepherd, Gunther, named after her late son of the same name. But was the Countess a real person? Or was the whole story faked?

This begs the question: is the world’s richest dog a hoax?

Gunther’s Millions: The Truth About Countess Karlotta Liebenstein

Just over half of Gunther’s millions Documentaries Maurizio Mian reveals what many have long suspected: there is no German Countess Karlotta Liebenstein. The whole story was fabricated to allow Maurizio’s family, owners of a pharmaceutical company, to send money abroad without having to pay taxes. Karlotta’s “character” was instead loosely based on one of Maurizio’s aunts.

Was there a real Gunther?

Like Countess Karlotta Liebenstein, her deceased son Gunther was also made up. In the story, Gunther is the Countess’ deceased son who suffered from depression throughout his life and eventually committed suicide. In reality, there was no Gunther, and Maurizio used his creation as a projection of himself. Maurizio has battled depression himself, and that’s why he’s so committed to finding the ultimate “cure” to happiness.

Who was Gunther’s real owner?

Not even the dog was really a part of this story. The original Gunther (the dog) belonged to Maurizio’s ex-girlfriend Antonella Signorini. Gunther became very ill and they had to give cortisol injections to keep him alive. But the cortisol caused Gunther to develop osteoporosis. Mian’s family business administered an experimental drug to help Gunther, and he actually got better.

For a time, Gunther and Mian became famous for this ‘miracle drug’, but as the novelty wore off, Mian had to find another way to get his name back on the map. That’s where the beginning of this story began. Mian and Antonella both loved Gunther, and although he was originally Antonella’s dog, the couple more or less shared him. And as we know, Mian devoted considerable resources to securing Gunther’s legacy so there would always be another Gunther.

Was Gunther the dog cloned?

In the original Gunther’s millions Trailer, there is a throway line that references gunther cloning. This comes into play at the very end of the docuseries, in a post-credits scene where Mian tells documentary filmmaker Aurelien Leturgie that he actually cloned Gunther multiple times. But Mian is just spinning another story and admits that’s not true – although it would make a great story. So, no, Gunther VI is not a clone.

Gunther’s millions now streaming on Netflix.