Brazil love motel for pets opens doors By Shasta Darlington, CNN December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1313 GMT (2113 HKT) Brazil is now the world's fifth-largest market for pet accessories, according to PET South America In Sao Paulo, many restaurants now offer dog menus and a Rio entrepreneur recently introduced a "Dog Beer" (CNN) -- There are heart-shaped mirrors on the ceiling and a lot of frisky nibbling on the bed below. But the visitors to this new Brazilian love motel are a pair of French bulldogs, Cherry and Toby. The motel is just part of Animalle Mundo Pet, a new massive pet complex in Belo Horizonte, Brazil that sells everything from chocolate dog biscuits to assisted reproduction services. A fling in the motel costs about $50 dollars. Cherry's owner says she's still too young to mate, but they'll be back when she comes of age. "I like to give her everything I can," says Leonardo Felipe da Silva. A lot of people think it's too much, but I think she deserves it. He says he already spends up to $300 a week on food and accessories for Cherry. "Our clients don't see animals just as animals," says Daniela Guimaraes, the owner of Animalle Mundo Pet. They talk about their pets like members of the family, 'my son' or 'my brother'. In Brazil, a decade of prosperity propelled millions into the middle class and fueled a demand for pets of all kinds, but especially dogs. Breeds like Shih Tzus and Italian greyhounds have become new symbols of economic status. According to PET South America, an international trade show for pet suppliers, Brazil is now the world's fifth-largest market for pet accessories, worth about 9 billion dollars in 2011. Even so, only about half of Brazil's 100 million pets have access to pre-packaged foods and pet stores, according PET South America, leaving plenty of room for future growth, which they predict will be in the double digits. Dog leashes embedded with crystals, animals spas and dog daycares are all the rage. In Sao Paulo, many restaurants now offer dog menus and a Rio de Janeiro entrepreneur recently introduced a beef-flavored "Dog Beer" -- non-alcoholic of course. Being a pet in Brazil these days is hardly a dog's life. December 11, 2012 -- Updated 1529 GMT (2329 HKT) Fewer restrictions and more relaxed rules in the region aren't helping Gaza's fishermen much. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports from Gaza. December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1149 GMT (1949 HKT) As the family and media search for answers, a picture emerges of a generous, caring woman who was caught up in a media maelstrom. December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1010 GMT (1810 HKT) Greek Antakis Antonios hasn't had a job for years, lost his wife to tuberculosis and now struggles to support his three kids. December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1037 GMT (1837 HKT) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez undergoes further treatment for cancer, as CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports. December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1241 GMT (2041 HKT) Imagine being a CEO of ideas, heading up a process in which you generate, process and test out ideas -- for a living. Sounds ambitious? It is. You may already know that President Barack Obama's "Four more years" was the top post on Twitter in 2012. December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1259 GMT (2059 HKT) December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1331 GMT (2131 HKT) From India to Las Vegas, superstitious lovebirds and numbers geeks are reveling in a once-in-a-lifetime date: 12/12/12.