A Victorian mansion, built for the dogs

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Coco Puff, left, a male Yorkie, and Pomeranian Darla, walk out of the front yard of their Victorian-style home in Riverside County.

Does something seem strange to you about the caption to the above photo? What, your neighbors aren’t dogs?

Well, it turns out that Coco Puff and Darla didn’t actually spend $20,000 on their home -- their owner, Tammy Kassis, did. The doggie mansion is equipped with heating and air conditioning and hardwood floors, among other luxuries. ‘My dogs are my life,’ says Kassis, who is planning a small plasma screen TV as a holiday present for the dogs so they can watch their favorite channel, Animal Planet.

As Jeff Spurrier writes in a story in tomorrow’s paper, the pet economy isn’t showing the signs of slowing down the way the human one is. But while not everyone can afford a doggie mansion, we can all afford a little dose of escapism. Check out these photos from the gallery:

--Clare Abreu