Multi-million-dollar dog house up for sale after death of dog

LOS FELIZ, LOS ANGELES -- The English Tudor in the hills beneath the Griffith Observatory may seem like other homes in the Los Feliz neighborhood. But most people who look at the home on Chislehurst Drive may not realize that they're looking at a multi-million-dollar dog house.

"Here's a dog and he lives in this mansion with a pool for 11 years," said Karen de la Carriere, who lives down the street.

That dog was Teezu the Shih Tzu, once owned by Mary Sue Hubbard, the third wife of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

Mary Sue Hubbard lived in the home for 18 years, up until she died in 2002. But even though she left the house to her three surviving children, they couldn't sell it.

"She put a condition in the will that the house could not be sold as long as Teezu was still alive," said Tony Ortega. Ortega is a reporter who for years has written about Scientology. He broke the "Shih Tzu in the Tudor" story when little Teezu the dog finally died last year.

Ortega says three other people also stayed at the house as not-so-temporary caretakers for the tiny pooch.

"No one anticipated that Teezu would outlive Mary Sue by 11 years," Ortega said.

"I think it annoyed a lot of people that a little jewel in Los Feliz could be left to a dog," said Carriere, who is also a former Scientologist.

She said the small dog with the big house doesn't surprise her. But now that Teezu is gone, the sale is on.

The home is listed for just under $2.5 million. While its pool and architectural details are nice, Ortega says its back story might be its biggest selling point.

"I think this kind of notoriety helps, at least in a place like Los Angeles," he said.