The $400 million dollar dog. For the last three decades, the dog’s riches have been built into a vast empire across two continents, including luxurious mansions, a glamorous entourage, and even a pop music group. But as any good pup can tell you, it’s always worth digging a little deeper. A Netflix Documentary Series – Gunther’s Millions is only on Netflix on February 1st.
About Netflix’s Gunther’s Millions
This is an all-new Netflix four-part docuseries, “Gunther’s Millions” in English and Italian that begins by recounting the story of a German doctor who made a fortune in pharmaceuticals in the ’80s. He provided his wife — a countess — and their son a life of comfort and ease. But when their son died by suicide after struggling with depression, the only heir to their $400 million fortune was the family dog, a German shepherd named Gunther. The empire the countess left behind (and the long line of Gunthers bred from the original) was left to family friend Maurizio Mian, an Italian celebrity known for tenuous ties to the mafia and an entourage of reverent followers.
Gunther’s Millions chronicles the last 30 years (and counting) of Mian’s exploits, from setting up offshore accounts to buying Madonna’s old real estate, to elaborate social experiments involving boy bands and bikinis — all under the watchful eyes of Gunther’s chaotic canine empire.
Multi-millionaire Gunther VI lives in the lap of luxury: He travels on private planes, eats gold-flaked steaks for dinner, and surrounds himself with a glamorous entourage of spokesmodels and entertainers. He is also a German shepherd. As the legend goes, Gunther’s great-grandfather was initially owned by a mysterious countess whose son died tragically.
Having no heirs, the countess bequeathed her considerable fortune to her beloved dog. She placed him in the care of her son’s close friend, an Italian pharmaceutical heir and aspiring impresario named Maurizio Mian.
Over the past 30 years, Mian has built an empire on behalf of his canine boss, including glamorous real estate purchases, controversial social experiments, and one of the biggest tax fraud schemes of all time.
It’s a fairy tale both beautiful and bizarre, and naturally, questions abound. In this whirlwind of a four-part investigative documentary series, executive producers Aurelien Leturgie and Emilie Dumay crisscross the globe in search of answers, gaining access to never-before-seen archival material and sitting down for intimate and sometimes shocking conversations with Mian and the rest of Gunther’s longtime associates in hopes of understanding the complicated truth behind the world’s wealthiest pet.
Who is Maurizio Mian?
Mian is an Italian entrepreneur and pharmaceutical heir and also the CEO of the Gunther Corporation, formed in the name of his beloved German shepherd. Over the years, Mian has used a long line of Gunthers as the figurehead for his various companies, investments, properties and business endeavors.
Where is Gunther’s Millions available to watch?
The series be released on Netflix on February 1, 2023.