Life in the Doghouse is not so bad

The $80,000 home for Rose (below) and five other chow chows is informally called called the Chow Mahal. The 900-square-foot guesthouse built by Charlene and Johnny Grayson of Blossom Valley holds individual kennels with doggy doors that lead to grassy, fenced runs; countless chow knickknacks cover the shelves and walls. "I know it's a little extreme," she said.

Charlene and Johnny Grayson really love their chow chows.

The couple even built them their own place. And it's no doghouse.

The 900-square-foot doggy domicile is done up in earth tones and animal prints. Images of the lion-faced dog gaze out from walls, drink coasters and magazines. A flat-screen TV is tuned to Animal Planet.

The $80,000 house, adjacent to the Graysons' hilltop home east of Lakeside, was christened the Chow Mahal years ago by one of their incredulous friends.