The picky pooch, a present to Helmsley from one of her advisers, John Codey, wouldn't eat normal dog food - Helmsley had her fed chef-prepared gourmet meals. Employees said Helmsley would often disrupt service in the kitchen of her Park Lane Hotel - where she lived - by insisting that the chef drop whatever he was doing to make special meals for the cranky canine.

Trouble also refused to eat from a bowl, and would deign to dine only if she were hand-fed, usually by Helmsley's employees.

That practice led to a lawsuit against Helmsley by one of her housekeepers, Zamfira Sfara, who charged that the dog repeatedly bit her as she fed her, leading Sfara to develop permanent nerve damage.