[News] A Pampered Yorkie's Life

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GENESEE COUNTY -- Magnum, a 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier, often eats baked or rotisserie chicken, sits in an office chair on a homemade blue-and-white wool blanket and owns a wardrobe of several sweaters.

Fancy Ann, a 6-year-old German shepherd, drinks bottled water, eats steak on her birthday, sleeps on a faux mink throw and receives a lotion massage and facials on many nights.

"You know, I could never stand people who were so obnoxious with their pets, but I'm afraid I've turned into one of them," said Renee Landaal of Flint, who treats Fancy Ann "like she's my baby girl."

Said Magnum's owner, Nina MacGillivray of Flint Township: "Spoiled? Yeah, but you can't ever do too much for a dog."

Landaal and MacGillivray are examples of an explosion in the attention and money spent on dogs, cats and other animal companions.

"It's the humanization of pets," said pet industry expert Julia Dvorko of BCC Inc., a private research firm in Connecticut. "People really treat them like members of the family. A lot of people are even calling them their children."

Magnum "signs" the bottom of MacGillivray's e-mails with a paw print and travels with her on sales jobs. He wears a sheepskin seat belt in the car and sits on her lap for hours during sales interviews without getting antsy, MacGillivray said.

So what's going on?

Dvorko said partly it's a matter of people having fewer children at home. Baby boomers who become empty nesters at 45 or 50 want companionship so they turn to pets.

She said all segments of the pet industry -- including premium pet food, services, toys, accessories and veterinary care -- are expanding.

"People are sparing no expense for their pets," Dvorko said. "They want the best in food and the best in health care."

She said stories of pet owners spending thousands of dollars on surgery are much more common now than 20 years ago.

Pet sitting, grooming, massages, behavioral specialists, "doggy day care," agility classes for dogs -- they didn't exist or were in their infancy 10 to 15 years ago, but they are expanding at a vigorous pace, Dvorko said.

Mark Bills, training director for Companion Dog Training Club of Flint, said agility classes have gained in popularity, and about half of the people taking the classes are those who have never done the dog show circuit. In agility courses, dogs jump over fences and weave through cones.

"It is becoming popular because people really enjoy watching their dogs run and jump," Bills said.

In the past three years, he said, the club has had to triple the number of obedience and agility classes it offers because of the high demand.

Key-Lore Kanine Kountry Klub in Flushing Township began offering day care a few years ago, and that part of Sharon and Bill Keillor's kennel business is doing well. Sharon Keillor said that despite their out-of-the-way location and $15-a-day fee, doggy day care is almost filled up on the Tuesdays and Thursdays they offer it. She said there's enough demand to expand it to four days a week if they so desired.

They have three fenced yards, each about a half acre, and 12 acres of woods to create a giant dog playland.

Last week, Julie, a German shepherd, and Little Bear, a chou-chou frolicked in a play yard filled with toys, a tunnel and mounds of dirt to dig into.

Besides letting the dogs play with each other, the Keillors conduct obedience training and take the dogs for walks.

"When the owners come home at the end of the day, they can relax because the dog's already been playing all day long," Keillor said.

The Keillors also learn and cater to the personality of each dog.

Tilly, a bulldog whose owners spent thousands of dollars on surgery for her cleft palate and eyes, does not like playing with other dogs.

"She's the princess. She wants to be the only dog, so I'll take her with me when I do my rounds, or she'll sit with me in the office when I'm doing my paperwork," Keillor said.

Diane Cureton, owner of Homesitters Inc. in Fenton, said it took her three years to get to 100 customers after starting her business in 1988. She now has about 250 clients.

Cureton said she's seen many examples of pet pampering: whole rooms dedicated to birds, cats and dogs, and televisions just for the pets. She's been instructed on how to make gourmet foods for the pets -- and, yes, bottled water is common.

She said the homesitting service can be used for day visits when the family is on vacation or at work, and overnight visits -- for $40 per night -- are offered when the family is on an extended vacation.

She said her customers are looking for more extensive pet care than just having a neighbor stop by to pick up the mail.

"If you have a dog, especially, the dog doesn't want you to just come in for a few minutes, feed them, pet them and take them out," Cureton said. "It needs more attention."

Sheila Smith, spokeswoman for Pet Sit International, a trade association for sitting services, said business is booming: The number of businesses joining their association has tripled in four years.

Landaal, who is married but does not have children, said she is happy with the attention the day care gives Fancy Ann. She says she shopped for a program "just as intensely as if we were checking out a day care for a child."

At home, Fancy Ann also has a cotton duvet, water cooler and a built-in counter for her own television.

On days when they don't send Fancy Ann to day care, they leave Animal Planet or the Cartoon Network on for Fancy Ann to enjoy.

"Why? Because she's special," Landaal said. "She's absolutely beautiful, and she makes us happy."

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