A woman who was scared of spiders conquered it by buying a pet tarantula who is now such a good friend she has bought her a miniature TV, table and chairs and a selection of the finest tiny outfits.
Pampered pets usually come in the form of a spoiled puppy or a mollycoddled kitten, but the furry best friend of Cassandra Tainsh is Pandora - a giant, Chilean tarantula.
Miss Tainsh, 20, regularly buys her beloved Pandora new furniture to play with, taking snaps of her pet enjoying the toys.
Spidergirl: The 20-year-old regularly buys her beloved Pandora new furniture to play with
Pampered pet Pandora, a giant Chilean tarantula, gets to play with her own miniature TV and sound system
She told how she used to be terrified of spiders until she decided to conquer her arachnophobia a year ago.
She said: 'I used to have a massive phobia of spiders and just before I got Pandora, I had to get my mum to get one out of my room while I was shaking and crying in the corner.
More...
Real men eat quiche and fearlessly remove spiders: What women really look for in their men
Mum, can I have a hamster... and some tarantulas, scorpions and snakes? Student, 16, shares family home with 300 pets (and watches TV with 6ft python round his neck)
'But then I went to a local garden centre and there was an animal charity there that gave people the chance to handle a tarantula. I thought if I got one of my own, maybe I could overcome my fear.'
Miss Tainsh, of Leeds, West Yorkshire, decided on Chilean red Pandora, and quickly fell in love with the giant spider, going on to collect another six which now live with her in her bedroom.
Reclining with the remote control: The pet tarantula sitting on its miniature dinner chair
Time for dinner: The domesticated pet Pandora on her hob
Miss Tainsh told how she used to be terrified of spiders until she decided to conquer her arachnophobia a year ago
Miss Tainsh, of Leeds, West Yorkshire, quickly fell in love with the giant spider and now has six
Miss Tainsh said: 'I went to a local garden centre and there was an animal charity there that gave people the chance to handle a tarantula'
She said: 'Pandora is still pretty much the one who's in charge. A lot of my friends were freaked out at first but after a while they all started asking what she was up to. That's why I started doing things like dressing her up and getting her furniture, for a bit of fun.
'It's all doll's furniture, and the last thing I bought, the lady in the shop asked if it was a present for someone - then I told her it was for my tarantula.
'A lot of people I've shown the pictures to have said they used to be afraid like I was, but the pictures I've taken have made them laugh and made spiders seem much less scary.'