It’s a dog’s life

Marisa O’Neil

Alona Canfield drove from San Clemente to get supplies for her party.

She picked up a blue denim party hat that declared “Birthday Boy”

for the guest of honor, a silver one trimmed with fuchsia feathers

for his girlfriend and frosted cupcakes for Baron’s first birthday

party.

Only the best for Baron, her 100-pound Rottweiler.

“The kids are grown and gone, and dogs replace our children,”

Canfield said as she shopped at Three Dog Bakery in Newport Beach.

“Our daughter complains we treat the dog better than we treat her.”

Canfield is part of a growing population who are willing to pamper

their pets with gourmet food, designer clothes and baby sitters.

Three Dog Bakery sells everything from dog-sized velour tracksuits to

hand-painted dog bowls to a $180 raincoat from British clothier

Aquascutum.

They also sell salt- and sugar-free bakery treats with names like

“Bichon Bars” and “Pawlines,” which have a paw-print on top. The

cookies and cakes, decorated with frosting rosettes and powdered

toppings, look like they came from an upscale -- human -- bakery.

“People love their pets,” she said. “People love their pets. My

dog is my Prozac, my marriage counselor, my anti-depressant. I think

a lot of people feel that way.”

The posh pet industry has taken off recently, with other local

businesses producing gourmet dog food and selling upscale pet

supplies and clothes, such as Dogma in Newport Coast.

“People want to be unique, and they look at their dog as a way of

expressing themselves,” said Josh Lee, manager of Dogma. “There are a

lot of dog owners around here, and in general, the population here is

well educated and makes good money and want the best for their pets.”

Pet supplies have boomed into a $31 million-a-year industry, said

Bill Viscome, marketing manager for Pampet USA in Costa Mesa. His

company sells clothes and Halloween costumes for small dogs at stores

across the country, including Dogma and Three Dog Bakery.

“People look at pets as part of their family,” Viscome said. “they

care for them just like their own children.”

And like children, dogs need someone to take care of them during

the day.

Tracey Borowski started Jet Set Pet Sitters three years ago. She

mostly serves the One Ford Road development near Fashion Island,

offering dog walking, pet taxi and housesitting services. Prices

range from about $16 for a half-hour walk to more than $60 a day for

complete house and pet sitting.

“I wanted to focus on the upper-echelon group,” she said. “Most of

my clientele work long hours, live in a nice area and tend to travel

more.”

Dog owners can also drop their four-legged friends off at the Bone

Adventure in Costa Mesa, which opened earlier this month.

“The idea is that you can drop your dog off in the morning, work

all day, go to the gym, go to dinner and not feel guilty,” owner

Diane Cuniff said. “When your kid is having more fun than you during

the day, that’s a good thing.”

Right now, Cuniff has 25 clients who bring their dogs in for

anything from one day a week to overnight boarding. Her typical

clients are a husband and wife who both work, she said.

At the Bone Adventure -- a play on the Bonaventure Hotel -- dogs

get fed, walked and played with and generally get tuckered out.

Prices go from $33 for a single day to $45 for overnight care.

Customers can purchase multi-day packages at a discount.

“The people who do this are not really wealthy,” she said.

“They’re usually working a lot and want a good quality of life. If

they’re working 10 hours a day, that’s when they need this.”

Melinda Nish, dean of business education at Orange Coast College,

has been taking her 65-pound German shepherd mix, Roxy, to the Bone

Adventure since it opened.

“I feel it’s a necessity for a dog, but it’s expensive,” she

admitted. “I can’t do it every day. I could just make her sit in the

house all day, but I don’t want to do that.”

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.