Back when I was growing up, taking
care of the family pet was a walk in the park.You took
them for their shots once a year and when they looked or acted poorly you took
them to see the local vet. They ate
Gravy Train for dinner and slept on a rug or in a basket. Children went out to play and Rover followed
them all over the neighborhood.
Speed
forward fifty years. You can still buy
Gravy Train but there is also Chef Michaels’ gourmet stew in small tubs, no
left-overs for fussy eaters. Bakeries
that cater to the canine palate have sprung up across America from big cities
to small towns. Birthday parties as well
as weddings complete with dresses, tuxes, rings, cakes etc. can be catered and
orchestrated.
If you have
an uptown kind of dog, you can find collars with jewels that cost more than my
daughter’s college education. And of
course you can buy the most chic outfit to show it off.
It used to
be you went off with your girlfriends for a spa weekend. Now you can have a spa weekend with your
pooch. She gets a blueberry facial,
massage, aroma therapy and a swim. If you live in the city and work, you can send
your best friend out for a good run with an athlete or send them to doggie
daycare.
Want
to spend more time with your doggie?
Take a yoga class with him/her.
When the owner is relaxed and feeling good, the pet relaxes and a strong
connection is made between the two.
If you live
in California, you can subscribe to Dog TV.
They show a variety of shows to relax the anxious dog, stimulate the
sluggish dog and entertain. At some day
care and boarding centers, they show dog friendly movies and give aroma
therapy.
For pet
lovers who don’t have a pool, you can join a swim club for dogs. One of our local vets has a bone shaped pool
behind her clinic. She hosts dog swim
parties a couple of times a summer.
Have a best
friend, who is a little large for a pool?
Take him to a dog beach and play together in the sand.
There are as
many extravagances for dog lovers and their constant companions as there are
breeds. That’s all for today, I have to
go massage my Angel while her blueberry mask sets. Then we’re going for a swim. What do you do to pamper your furry loved
ones? Tell us in the comment box.