When it comes to pampering pets, the sky's the limit



When the stock market took a nose dive this summer, Steve Sturn was bummed about the performance of his 401(k). But the uncertain economy didn’t stop him from splurging on Bruno, his French bulldog. Sturn bought a $15.95 bone-shaped cake from Three Dog Bakery in Plymouth, Mich., to celebrate Bruno’s one-year birthday.

"He loved it," said Sturn, 31, of Ann Arbor, Mich., who works for a mortgage company. "He went at it."

Sturn, who is engaged, doesn’t have any children, unless you count Bruno and his other dog, Rod, a 10-month-old Boston terrier. "They are like family members," Sturn said. "This is a special occasion. It’s like a kid’s birthday."

Despite a weak economy, pet owners continue to spend big money on their pets, pampering them with everything from massages to treats to teeth whitening.

"People pay us to brush their dog’s teeth every day," said Liz Blondy, who owns Canine to Five in Detroit, a doggy day care currently offering a "spa special" that includes an oatmeal shampoo and teeth cleaning for $14. "It sells like crazy."

Americans spent more than $3.5 billion in 2010 on pet services -- a figure that has doubled in the past decade, fueled by high-end grooming, luxury pet hotels and specialized day care centers, according to the American Pet Products Association, or APPA, a not-for-profit trade association. We spent $45.5 billion on pets in general in 2009, $48.35 billion in 2010, and an estimated $50 billion-plus this year.

This growing trend of pampering our pets has coincided with the disappearance of the doghouse, experts say.

"If you look at Americans' relationship with dogs over the last 30 or 40 years, dogs are no longer animals that stay in the backyard. They are truly family members," Blondy said. "They eat in the same room as the family; they sleep in the same room as the family; and they treat their dogs like their kids."

And when owners are at work, the dogs go to day care. "Business is great," Blondy said.

Canine to Five is in the process of doubling its space to more than 10,000 square feet because so many people want day care ($25) and overnight boarding ($40), where the dogs can sleep in a bedroom with a person. "You don’t want to leave Fluffy in a crate overnight when you are in the Bahamas," Blondy said. "You want Fluffy to sleep in the room with his teacher, who he knows and loves."

The weak economy might actually be the key reason why people are pampering their pets, according to Dr. Stephen Zawistowski, a science adviser at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"We saw this post-9/11," said Zawistowski, who has written a college textbook about the relationship between people and animals. "People were home nesting. They weren’t traveling so much. We saw this growth in home improvements and making more pot roast at home. Part of that home nesting is the comfort our pets give us.

"The reality is, when times are tough, even if you are one of the bosses, it’s stressful if you have to lay off three out of 10 people in your department. When you come home, let’s face it, the dog likes you. The cat will come sit in your lap. When you want to treat yourself or your family, you may not be able to go to Disney with the entire family. But you know, it’s not all that expensive to buy the dog a treat."

Just because the economy is bad, that doesn’t mean you love your family any less, said Carrie Backman, 48, of Westland, Mich.

Once a month, Backman takes her dog, Isabella Rose, a 2-year-old miniature schnauzer, to get her hair and nails done. "We call it a day at the spa," Backman said. "They treat her good. It’s a very special shampoo. They do her ears and brush her teeth."

But Backman never goes to the spa herself. "Well, yeah, I have no explanation for that," she said, laughing.

Dog people are not the only ones getting in on the pampering trend. Cat owners are pampering their kitties in ways that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago.

"When I was younger, we had cats and we never took our cats to get groomed," said Jamie Repp, 29, of Dearborn Heights, Mich. "I never thought a cat would need a bath or haircut. But it’s becoming more popular. I guess times have changed."

But she’s not complaining. It’s keeping her in business.

Repp owns Pampered Pets Mobile, a mobile cat and dog grooming service in Michigan’s Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Repp charges $60 to give a cat a bath. "We are starting to do a lot of baths for cats," she said.

And she charges $70 to give a cat a haircut, $20 more than she charges for a small dog. "Cats are more because they are higher risk -- a lot of our injuries come from cat bites or scratches," Repp said. "It is becoming quite popular, especially lion cuts. Imagine a lion. As people see them, they say, ’Oh, I gotta do that.’"

Repp said some people have their cats bathed because the cats are old, but some do it just to pamper them.

"I have quite a few customers, and the dog or cat will have their own room, specifically dedicated to them," Repp said.

Some think pet clothing is crazy stupid; others think it’s fine. Some think doggy day care is going overboard; others swear by it. Some think pet massages are ridiculous, but Dianne Reckling sees no problem with it.

Reckling, 41, of Livonia, Mich., has three golden retrievers: Dodger, 2, Bo, 3, and Rusty, 10. She said that she spends more than $800 a year on her dogs and has even taken them to get a massage.

"They are just like children, in my opinion," she said.


Who spends more on their pet: a cat or dog owner?

According to the 2011-2012 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, basic annual expenses for dog and cat owners in dollars include:

Dogs vs. Cats

Surgical vet visits: $407 vs. $425

Routine vet: $248 vs. $219

Food: $254 vs. $220

Kennel boarding: $274 vs. $166

Vitamins: $95 vs. $43

Travel expenses: $78 vs. $48

Groomer/grooming aids: $73 vs. $34

Food treats: $70 vs. $41

Toys: $43 vs. $21


Why pay so much?

Why does it cost more to get a dog groomed than to get your own hair cut? Here are the top 10 reasons, according to pamperedpetmobile.com:

10. Your hairdresser doesn’t wash and clean your rear end.

9. You don’t go for eight weeks without washing or brushing your hair.

8. Your hairdresser doesn’t have to give you a sanitary trim.

7. Your hairdresser doesn’t have to clean your ears.

6. Your hairdresser doesn’t have to remove the boogies from your eyes.

5. You sit still for your hairdresser.

4. Your haircut doesn’t include a manicure or pedicure.


2. You don’t bite or scratch your hairdresser.

1. The likelihood of you pooping on the hairdresser is pretty slim.


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