If her wishes are fulfilled, as they should be, it would represent the largest investment in animal protection in U.S. history. Currently, the largest foundation for animals, Maddie's Fund, has assets of $300 million. There are many smaller foundations, but in the aggregate, their holdings do not approach the size of the Helmsley fortune.

If her estate is put to use in a way that is consistent with her instructions, a total of $8 billion would result in $400 million flowing to the cause of dog protection per year (if the standard five percent of the corpus is allocated each year).

Such an expenditure, if made wisely, has the potential to solve some of the major dog welfare problems in society, such as ending the needless euthanasia of millions of healthy and treatable animals in the United States, halting the scourge of puppy mills, the barbarism of organized dogfighting, and ending the mistreatment of dogs in the greyhound racing industry. It could also be used to find cures for medical problems for dogs or provide urgent care for suffering animals, or even disaster planning for people and their pets. If also put to use internationally, it can address these problems on a global scale, including the public health problems associated with free-roaming and unsocialized dog populations.

Click here to read more of Wayne Pacelle's, Humane Nation. Pacelle is the President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States.