Puppy Love! Rachael Ray Spends More Than $80,000 on a Private Jet for Her Dog Isaboo
Rachael Ray‘s love for her dog knows no limits.
In a recent profile in the New York Times, the chef revealed that she spends more than $80,000 for a private jet so her pit bull, Isaboo, can travel to Italy with her and her husband John Cusimano.
But for those who are fans of the 49-year-old chef, it’s no secret she is obsessed with her pup.
When Ray and Cusimano renewed their vows on their 10th wedding anniversary in Tuscany in 2015, Isaboo was front and center.
“She walked me down the aisle and John tied the little ring box to her,” Ray told PEOPLE at the time. “She has a little wreath of flowers around her neck and my friend who’s an artist painted her harness and it was just sort of mixed in with the flowers. She was phenomenal.”
While a private jet for her dog might seem extravagant for the entrepreneur, who has her own line of dog food, a cookware line, a furniture line, several cookbooks, runs a magazine, and of course, hosts her own talk show, it’s clear she isn’t shy about giving.
According to the Times, Ray has 30 pages of recipients for Christmas gifts each year and often treats her friends and employees to luxurious gifts and vacations. (She even does her guests’ laundry while they’re staying with her.)
As of September 2017, Ray’s charity Rachael’s Rescue has donated more than $21 million to pet charities and other organizations that do good for pets. Funds are used for food, medical supplies, treatments and more.
“I have no idea if there’s $4 in my pocket or $400,” she tells the publication. “I never ask about it. That’s why I have bankers. I don’t want to know anything at all about what I’ve got or what I don’t. It’s never motivated me. It never will.”
The article also detailed Ray’s life now, where—when she’s not filming in New York City—she spends time at her woodsy cabin home in Lake George, N.Y. The 199-acre property was built in 2008 for $1 million and features a guesthouse, zip-line and a cabin across the street, where her mom, Elsa Scuderi, 84, lives.The Food Network star is writing a new book, working on a gardening line and adding handbag designer to her resume.
“I just want a place I can die,” she says. “It’s the Italian in me.”
Ray also opened up about her relationship with Cusimano, whom she married in 2005, saying he is clearly on the same page about their lifestyle.
“We’re the same. We’re loud. We don’t have to have dinner at a set time. And he knows he can’t boss me around over how much money I give away.”