Im jamie colby, and, today, im in encino, california. Will rogers once said, if there are no dogs in heaven, then when i die, i want to go where they go. But when the owners go first, especially the rich or eccentric ones, it can make for one strange inheritance. My name is tyson kilmer. Im an animal trainer. When one of my clients, sam simon, passed away in march of 2015, i inherited his dog, who is not exactly lassie, marmaduke, or any other lovably harmless pet youve seen on tv. Hi, kilmers. Im jamie. Im tyson kilmer. This is my wife, alison. Aliyah and tyler. How are you . Im great i heard your family has a living, breathing inheritance . Indeed, we do. We have a cane corso that used to belong to the late, great sam simon. Sam simon even if you dont recognize the name, you surely know his work as codeveloper, with Matt Groening, of that iconic and longrunning tv show, the simpsons. Sam was born in 1955 and grew up in beverly hills, just down the street from groucho marx. After graduating from stanford university, sam catapults his way up in the tv business, becoming a showrunner in 1978 for the hit series taxi, at the age of 23. Sam was the youngest showrunner in the history of television, when he was a showrunner on taxi. Mark thompson is an l. A. Radio host and a longtime friend of simons. To describe him as highly intelligent would be to understate it in the extreme. Sam works on Barney Miller and cheers, before teaming up with Matt Groening on the simpsons, which premieres on the fox network in 1989. Matt groening created these characters and this family, but the universe that the simpsons exist in the town, the Nuclear Power plant, mr. Burns, all of these different characters. Sam simon was the driving force behind that. But in 1993, after four trailblazing seasons, sam decides he wants a life outside of television. Before quitting, he negotiates a deal giving him continuous credit as an executive producer and a share of the shows annual profit, to the tune of 30 million a year. Sam, now twice divorced with no children, turns his energy to what becomes his calling in life saving animals, especially dogs. In 2002, at the cost of several million dollars, he creates this lavish, sprawling dog shelter in malibu. One of the neglected pooches that end up at sams shelter is a 6month old cane corso, also known as an italian mastiff, a breed some people refer to as a pit bull on steroids. The big canine is quickly deemed too aggressive to stay at the shelter. So sam takes him home and names him columbo, after the rumpled, trenchcoatwearing detective played by peter falk. He adored columbo, clearly. I think he was like an offspring almost. He was like a son. A son with a nasty disposition. Within months, columbo attacks Staff Members on the simon estate. There are as many as eight biting incidents. He even goes after sams buddy, howard stern. Ok, guys, go play [ dogs barking ] so, in 2011, sam contacts tyson kilmer, who has a reputation for working with dangerous breeds. His hollywood clientele includes rob lowe and mike tyson, but none impresses him like sam simon. The first meeting he had with sam, tyson came back and went, i met my hero. I met a guy thats doing way more than i am with animals. It was a bromance. Alison kilmer is tysons wife. Was it more than just about the dog . Oh, yeah. Tyson knew right away that sam was someone that was gonna mentor him. Still, tyson hesitates taking the columbo case. Why . I had stopped working with that breed a few years prior, just because of the volatility and the liability issues around them. Im sure that training aggressive dogs is dangerous. Where is columbo on the scale . If its a scale from 1 to 10, columbos a 12. Tyson says he makes an exception for columbo, when simon convinces him that health issues, like painful hip dysplasia, explain why hes such a bad dog. So, its not just behavioral. Its also medicine . Thats correct. Simons already paying for the best veterinary medicine money can buy. Among other things, columbo gets electromagnetic therapy and acupuncture. Acupuncture for a dog . I know were in los angeles, but really . This dog has endured so much pain in his legs that this is not some frivolous treatment. And the price tag for columbos firstclass care . Columbo costs approximately 138,000 a year. Thats a Fouryear College education. The reality is i didnt hire these folks. I was just asked to be present while these folks were working. And this work changed my perspective on this dog entirely. Ready to go. Tyson takes over the actual training, hooking up columbo with a partner to keep him in line. Hey, jamie. I brought my friends. I see that, tyson. I hope theyll be my friends. They will be your friends. So, kashas been the one to teach him how he should be responding and reacting in these encounters. Shes a pit bull. Shes a pit bull, yes, but shes very fabulously trained. You want to give it a try . Im willing to try. Perfect. Okay, so, lets start off by showing her a stay. Point to the ground. Tell her, okay, down. Okay, down, kasha. Good girl, kasha. And now, this is how she smiles. So, it looks like kind of scary. Oh you get a rub on the belly stay. Tyson says his hard work and sams money transform columbo into a loving and muchlessaggressive pet. So, the bottom line is you have rehabilitated this dog. I would say that this dog is living, at this point, within very acceptable margins for behavior and safety, as long as we continue to put the work in with him daily. Its late 2012, when, at 57, sam simon is diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The prognosis its terminal. How did sam tell you he was sick . [ voice breaking ] he was just sick. What happened . You know, he said, you know, tyson, im dying. Will sams death sentence also be the end for columbo . I was asked to make sure that columbo was taken off the property immediately. Immediately . Yes. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Was it roy rogers trigger. Mr. Ed. Or seabiscuit . The answer when we return. Music another summer day is come and gone away in paris and rome but i want to go home mmmmmmmm maybe surrounded by a Million People i still feel all alone i just want to go home oh i miss you, you know let me go home ive had my fun baby im done i gotta go home it will all be alright ill be home tonight im comin back home so, what stuffed horse fetched 266,000 at auction . Its a, trigger, who belonged to roy rogers. With the help of his new friend and dog trainer tyson kilmer and a year and a half of intense training sam simons rescued 140pound cane corso is under control. So, youve given columbo a stay of execution. Nobody else has been bitten, so the first part is amazing. Secondly, hes a happier soul. But, in 2012, sams diagnosis of stagefour cancer changes everything. After being told he has only months to live, the simpsons codeveloper launches a campaign to save as many animals as he can before hes gone. He brings tyson along for the ride. As his body began to fail him, he would be jumping on a learjet and flying off, so somebody had to watch out for him. Here was sam simon ready to do all of these things that seem unthinkable. He rescued all of these bears from roadside circuses. He shut down a mink farm. So, the money is kind of gone. You gave it all to peta. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I put in a trust that will be distributed, in perpetuity, to save the children and peta and other organizations. Fantastic. For two years, sam beats the clock, but his disease never relents. I got a call that he was in the hospital, and he had summoned for me to come to his bedside. He just said, im sorry to burden you with this, but will you please take my dog . Of course, i said yes. Tyson looked at me and said, i got to do this for him. If we dont, theyre gonna put columbo down. Tyson also makes sure columbo can stay by sam till the end. I was asked to train columbo to climb a set of steps beside sams bed so that columbo could get up there and sleep with him. Columbo was with sam right up until he passed. I was asked to be on the property when he passed to make sure that columbo was taken off the property immediately. Why immediately . Well, columbo couldnt be on the property with an influx of people coming in, just because it just wasnt safe. Arguably even less safe bringing this strange inheritance home to your wife and kids. I have to ask you about that. I met him. Hes fierce. You let them hang out with columbo . Supervised. Columbo cannot be unsupervised around my children or around anybody. When hes uncomfortable, hes grumpy. You dont want to be anywhere around him. And i dont want my kids to be anywhere around him. And stay. Your kids could get hurt. Youre willing to take the risk. We make all the precautions. We make sure theyre never alone with columbo. We make sure that they train him every day. And us, as a family we made a commitment to healing dogs and showing other families how to do it. A noble commitment, but whos going to pay for columbos ongoing 138,000ayear medical care . Was there some sort of verbal agreement between you and sam . Sam just basically said, listen, dont worry about this. Everythings taken care of. Ruhroh is it possible that sam made a promise to tyson he didnt intend to keep . Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. Santas little helper, the simpsons family dog, is what breed . The answer in a moment. Carolyn you are not your diagnosis. Eric a medical chart is not your identity. Marina and vision loss does not define you. Your drive shows who you are. Heather and you are not alone. Eric because we are driven, too. Carolyn to be a beacon of strength, a champion of courage. Heather an advocate for hope. Carolyn you are not alone. Heather because we are stronger together. Eric we drive the research for the cures were finding. Marina were fighting macular degeneration, heather lca, eric retinitis pigmentosa, marina and the entire spectrum of blinding retinal diseases. Eric we fund. Marina we fight. Heather and henry we win. All we. Are the Foundation Fighting blindness. Carolyn together. Eric we are fighting blindness. Carolyn join the fight at fightingblindness. Org. Here, hello starts with hi mple. How can i help . A data plan for everyone. Everyone . Everyone. Lets send to everyone [ camera clicking ] wifi up there . Ahhh. Sure, why not . Howd he get out . a camera might figure it out. That was easy glad i could help. At xfinity, were here to make life simple. Easy. Awesome. So come ask, shop, discover at your xfinity store today. So, santas little helper, the simpsons family dog, is what breed . The answer is b, a greyhound homer rescues from the dog track in the simpsons first episode. [ dog growls ] the cane corso, or italian mastiff, is an aggressive breed, sometimes called a pit bull on steroids. Columbo, a 140pounder who belonged to simpsons codeveloper sam simon, was actually deemed too vicious for simons dogrescue shelter. Hollywood dog trainer tyson kilmer says one of simons last requests was that he take columbo when simon died. One thing that sam said is that, every animals life has value. Tyson assumes simons multibilliondollar trust will pay for columbos costly medical treatments, including acupuncture and electromagnetic therapy. Was there some sort of verbal agreement between you and sam . Sam took care of everything while he was alive. When sam said, will you take columbo . , i didnt say, hey, how much, buddy . I just said, of course. Ill take care of it. Then, in june 2015, three months after sams death, tyson learns that those vets and therapists will no longer be paid and all those hollywoodstyle treatments will be discontinued. Tyson reaches out to the executor of the simon trust. Now, im a dog lover dont get me wrong but tell me how much you were asking, moneywise, to take care of columbo in the style sam had i didnt ask for money. I was asking for them to send the vets over. I wasnt asking for money. Come on, columbo. Either way, tyson says hes told theres no money earmarked for columbo. I first thought, it has to be a misunderstanding, but, at some point, youd think, even if that were the case, they would have an allegiance to what sam would have wanted. Radio host Mark Thompson was a longtime friend of simons. Is it possible that sam made a promise to tyson he didnt intend to keep . I think the answer is of course not, of course not. Sam would have wanted money to go for the continued care of columbo. The executor of simons trust doesnt return our phone calls but has ripped tyson in the media. The trustee issued a statement that we got our hands on, and it starts with, its truly sad that someone would try to take advantage of sams generosity to unjustly enrich themselves at the expense of other causes. And im just an outsider, but the same money that sam was paying for columbo, when sam was alive, is all tyson is asking for. And its about his therapy, not a dollar more. I think thats a reasonable request. How much is it costing you a month, besides your daily time, to take care of columbo . It costs me approximately 9,000, 9,500 a month to take care of him. Tyson has custody of a dog that is considered very dangerous. And we have a trustee unwilling to disperse money for the dogs care. End of case . If theyre willing to go to court, tyson might be able to assert rights on columbos behalf and get the court to construe the trust. Underscore might, says ken kossoff, an l. A. Lawyer specializing in pet inheritances. He says its telling simon apparently did not set up a trust fund to pay for columbos care, which is allowed under california law. You want your trust or any other document to be very clear that who was ever in charge of the money needs to support the pet. Case in point kens client in palmdale, california, a widow who wanted to provide for her faithful companions when she was gone. Hi, yvonne. Im jamie. Jamie, hi. How are you . Nice to meet you. I heard youre the bird lady. I am that. Would you like to meet my kids . I would like to meet your kids. Come on. Oh, thank you. Look at all these guys. Oh, hello there. Whos that . He says, im bogie bird. And he says, im the senior bird here. Bogie is a 34 yearold double yellowhead amazon parrot. While hes older than yvonnes two cockatiels, hes still a youngin among the parrot breed, who can easily live for 60 years. When yvonne first adopts bogie from a bird sanctuary, in 2013, she worries about making a commitment to a pet that could very well outlive her. At my age, i thought, how am i gonna make this work out . These guys can live to be 60 years old. Im not rich. So, will bogie become a strange inheritance . Yvonne is worried that her cherished parrot will get discarded, like columbo. And what about columbo . It must be costing you a fortune. Columbos not cheap, and we never, ever, ever, in a million years, thought wed be here. And . How can the kilmers get the funds they say they need for his care . Good boy you know, i agreed to take sam simons dog. I didnt agree to take on a billiondollar estate. Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Now back to strange inheritance. Yvonne eubanks loves her parrot, bogie, who may very well outlive her. Will bogie get the special care he needs when shes gone . She turns to ken kossoff, whos been creating trusts in los angeles for over 30 years. A lot of pet owners do not know that they could plan their estate to include their pets. Yvonne doesnt just want to make sure her pets always have a caring home. She wants to make sure they have her home. The trust provides, immediately, for a caregiver to come in, and this is someone who is familiar with my birds. They will live here in the house, basically rentfree, and theyd take care of the birds. I will take care of the utilities and all on the house. That could theoretically last for decades. You understand people will watch this and theyll say, okay, youre the bird lady. yeah. And youve left this beautiful home to birds. Yes. I dont care how whacky they think i am. I just want to protect these guys. Apparently, sam simon wasnt so clear or emphatic about columbo, and so the executors of simpsons codeveloper sam simons billiondollar trust reportedly have no intention of providing a penny for his care. Where does that leave animal trainer tyson kilmer, to whom sam bequeathed the 140pound mastiff . Ive never had much interest in anything outside of just seeing columbo cared for. I really dont want to be in court over the next five, six years. Id far rather raise funds for him and just move on with my life. Sam was his mentor and hero. And, sometimes, you dont write the script on how its gonna come out, but were doing the best we can and were gonna handle it. I wanted to put a call into you to see if i could rely on some support from you guys. Today, tyson hopes to raise enough funds through a network of friends and supporters to finance columbos care. You made a promise. Absolutely. Yeah. Thats a big promise. Im gonna keep that promise. You know, sam was one of he was a mentor to me. He was one of my best friends. Im gonna honor my word to my friend. Bogie or columbo can only dream of the fortune of the socalled worlds richest pet, a German Shepherd whos really rolling in the dough. Turns out that when a german countess named Carlotta Liebenstein died, in 1992, she left a 124 million trust for her trusty pooch, gunther iii. Well, when gunther iii met an untimely death, carlottas riches passed to gunthers son, gunther iv, and by then, the trust was worth 372 million and included a villa in the bahamas and a mansion once owned by madonna. And, at that rate, gunther v could be the first canine billionaire. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember, you cant take it with you. Found in grandpas attic. It was a dirty, dusty old box. And then its like, wow. I dont know what it is. A discovery that will make the baseball world flip. Youve got honus wagner, ty cobb, cy young, christy mathewson. Im thinking to myself, oh, my god. I have 1 million sitting in a chair. But is it almost too much of a good thing . It certainly changes the market in a negative way. Im jamie colby, and today, im in northwest ohio, on the edge of an area called the great black swamp. Im here to meet a family whos lived here for more than a 100 years. So when they unearthed their strange inheritance, they give it the code name the black swamp find. Im karl kissner. In 2011, my cousins and i inherited the family home from our aunt. She had left us a note we would find things in this home that we never knew existed. Karl, a 54yearold restaurant owner, has invited me to the family home in the small town of defiance, ohio. Karl . Hi. Im jamie. How are you . Very good. Pleasure to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. Thanks for having me. Is this the family home . This is grandmas home. Come on in. Ill show you around. The house first came into karls family in 1909. Neat old place, but needs a little tlc. Are you saying be careful . Yes. Okay. In 2012, karl and his cousins start the daunting task of cleaning out a home thats been lived in for more than a cen