We’re a bunch of pet lovers here at the radio show. And it seems we’re not alone. The pet industry takes in an estimated $34 billion dollars a year! In fact, MSN Money says, as spending on children’s toys has gone down – spending on pet products has gone up. That’s partly because dogs are filling in for real-life kids in a lot of American families these days. As women wait longer to marry and have kids – they get dogs first, as a sort-of baby test-run. Plus, as our population ages, there are a lot of empty-nest Boomers getting dogs. And they’re the generation with all the money! Boomers were notorious for spoiling their kids – and now that the kids have moved on – the pets get all the money and attention. 

So what are we spending our hard-earned dollars on? Everything from gourmet food, like canine cannoli, to doggy designer outfits, like a Burberry fleece-lined dog coat for $120-bucks, to pet health spas. One woman, cited by MSN Money, sends her dog to “Ritzy Canine” everyday. A deluxe doggy hotel that features dog-themed TV shows and movies, a state of the art doggy treadmill and agility center, room service meals, grooming, and orthopedic beds. And the pampering of pooches doesn’t stop there.

• If your pet happens to be neutered, you can replace the missing “boy parts” with implants. That’ll cost you $150 for the implants, plus the cost of the surgery.
• Meet Up .com – a social networking site – has over a thousand groups around the country with pets as the focus. 167 of those groups are for pugs alone.
• Dog birthday parties are big business. Check out Pet Birthday Party .com to plan yours.
• Dog weddings start at $250 dollars at the Yankee Dog Retreat in Boston.
• Even fire fighters all over the country have started carrying pet-sized oxygen masks.