These 5 Famous Animals Earned More Than You

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Animals don't understand the power of money. They primarily care about naps and food. So how is it possible for some animals to be filthy rich? Richer than most humans, even. The elusive luck of La La Land, that's how. Ever wonder how your income ranks with famous pups Toto or Lassie? Now you have the chance to find out.

1. Lassie

Just like any other movie star, Hollywood's famous Collie, Lassie had his own dressing room trailer equipped with a makeup artist, hair — er, fur — stylist and a comfortable couch. The dog whose owner bought him for $10 in the 1940s starred in films with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and played the namesake role of the Emmy-winning Lassie TV series. Lassie, whose real name was Pal, had a secret salary, but it was rumored to be about $1,000 per week. The dog was consistently paid for 52 weeks, even though he only had to work 13 of them.

2. Rin Tin Tin

This German shepherd, famously rescued by a solider during World War I, starred in a decade's worth of classic Warner Bros. flicks, and actually saved the studio from bankruptcy. Rin Tin Tin reportedly earned up to $2,000 a week, which equates to about $26,000 a week in today's money.

3. Toto

A cairn terrier named Terry earned $125 a week to play the iconic role of Toto in The Wizard of Oz. That's more money than the salary given to all of the actors who played the Munchkins, which was $50 weekly — a generous wage in the 1930s.

4. Free Willy

Keiko, the killer whale who played the namesake character in Free Willy, reportedly earned $36 million while filming the blockbuster movie. But if you're a whale in captivity, $36 million can go pretty quick. After he finished filming, Keiko started learning how to catch live fish, part of a project geared at preparing him to live in the wild. The well-intended project cost $500,000 a month, which is about the same amount that it would normally cost for a year of the whale's caretaking. The whale died in 2003, less than a year after being released back into the wild.

5. Eddie

The Jack Russell Terrier from the NBC's Frasier earned $10,000 per episode. The dog, whose real name was Moose, reportedly amassed a fortune of $3.2 million while filming the show's 11 seasons, plus other gigs such as a spot on a Rold Gold pretzel commercial and the starring role in the movie My Dog Skip.

Any other famous animals putting your annual salary to shame? Share with us in the comments!

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