Puppy Love

People love their pets, especially their dogs. In the US, pampering pooches has helped buoy the pet care industry to an estimated $45 billion in 2009. Seems like an astronomical figure when you just think about products like chew toys, dog beds and lamb stick treats. But a couple of recent stories show us, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The New York Times reports that at Water4Dogs in Manhattan, a place that usually provides hydrotherapy for post-surgery pups, dog owners can bring their healthy pets just for a dip in the pool — and the owners are allowed to swim with them. And if you know anything about how hard it is to find a swimming pool in New York (dumpster pools, anyone?), you’ll know that even this dog-human combo pool doesn’t come cheap. One hour costs $30.

But that’s nothing compared to the real-life hotel for dogs The Times reported on in Soho, where "private dog suites" are "replete with little beds, turn-down service and flat-screen TVs" all for the very human price of $115 a night.

In Taiwan, they’ve managed to top that. Dog hotels there, Reuters reports, have pools, nature walks, beauty parlors and even places where pets can listen to stories to help their "mood."

We’d like to say we aren’t the kind of people that give in to these extravagances, but who are we kidding? If Spot wants that $90 bento box from Masa, Spot will probably get it.

Photo courtesy Pohan via Flickr.