We really love our pets. Just look at our checkbooks.
A woman’s total came to $5,000 she was spending on her dog, and I just couldn’t believe it,” Jackie Wetzel says of a recent trip to Mackie’s Parlour in Scottsdale, a high-end canine boutique.
Wetzel admits she herself has splurged more than once on her canines, but considers $5,000 to be a bit over the top, and she’s probably not alone.
Greenlee, Wetzel’s Mini-Doberman, has 28 collars in her closet, including a couple in the $50 range. But Greenlee’s wardrobe is nothing compared to that of a growing number of Valley
pooches.
From cosmetic surgery and spa treatments to designer clothes and $1,600 carrying purses, Valley residents are spending more and more on their pets, especially their puppies. In fact, one Phoenix resident may hold the world’s record. He’s invested about $15 million.
Collars for $600
Spending on pets is up across the nation, but it’s the canines that delve the deepest into Valley pockets. One pet expert says owners should budget around $600 each year to keep a medium-sized dog healthy and happy. That, say many Valley pet owners, is only a fraction of their doggie budgets.
At Mackie’s Parlour in Scottsdale, it’s not unusual for owners to spend more than $600 in one single visit. Mackie’s sells everything from $10 chew toys to $1,600 tote bags. Some of their designer dog collars fetch $600 each.
“People think of their dogs as family, so they’re willing to spend whatever it takes if it’s quality,” says Tony Bolling, owner of Mackie’s Parlour. Bolling and partner Vincent Anginoli have owned the high-end doggie-retailer for 15 years and have seen sales surge in recent years.
When Brittney Spears visited Scottsdale she jumpstarted the pulse of local paparazzi with a pit stop at Mackie’s. Bit Bit, Spears’ Chihuahua trotted out with a $66 crystal-trimmed dog vest and a $110 crown.
Bolling reports that Spears and Barbara Streisand are two in a pack of celebrity clients who still telephone Mackie’s with special requests for their pooches.
“If we don’t have it, we can get it,” Bolling says of specialty doggie-wear, be it a diamond-studded collar or a hard-to-find chew toy.
As for Spears’ total ticket of $176, Bolling says that isn’t much more than Valley patrons typically spend.
Cosmetic Canines
In the Valley, pampered pooches aren’t limited to designer clothes. More dogs are taking advantage of bottled water, acupuncture and even cosmetic surgery.
“Arizona’s one of our more popular states,” says Neuticles inventor Greg Miller. His Missouri-based company has sold more than 225,000 pair of pet testicular implants since opening in 1997.
Miller named six Valley animal hospitals that have performed Neuticle implant operations. “It’s a very controversial subject, as controversial in the dog community as religion and politics in the human community,” says Miller, who first devised the idea of doggie implants when his Bloodhound was going under the knife.
Miller has seen a surge of Neuticles sales in the last year, not only for Neuticle implants but also for other doggie paraphernalia sold on his Web site.
“In 2006 for some reason we’ve done really well,” Miller says. Just two years ago his Web site averaged 57 hits a day. These days he’s accustomed to at least 2,500 hits.
Miller’s newest Neuticle implant, the ULTRAPLUS, sells for as much a $919 a pair. That’s without installation. “These things are pricey and handmade. It’s amazing how many of those we’ve done,” Miller says.
Miller says neutered male dogs with Neuticles have more confidence. “We’ve never had a complication, rejection or complaint from over 225,000 pet owners. We insure every Neuticles pet for $2 million for the life of their pet.”
Miller’s Web site sells his products directly to pet owners because he says veterinarians hike the prices of the prosthetic doggy parts even higher.
Dog-Gone Rich
As more pets become full-fledged family members, more dogs are also fetching medical care on par with their human owners. Dog dermatologists, optomologists and even psychologists are springing up in the Valley and across the nation. Now big-budgeted pet owners can even clone their cats, thanks to Phoenix resident and billionaire John Sperling.
At age 85, University of Phoenix founder John Sperling has invested almost $15 million into pet cloning research.
When Sperling’s dog Missy died seven years ago, he created Genetic Savings and Clone, a company solely devoted to cloning his late Border Collie and Husky mix. Genetic Savings and Clone soon became the first private company to clone a cat, but they haven’t had any luck with the dogs, yet.
If $15 million sounds like a lot, consider that pets across the nation bring almost $3.8 billion every year to Phoenix-based PetSmart. That’s how much the world’s largest pet retailer sold last year, the equivalent of $12 from every man, woman and child in the entire United States. With more than 35,000 employees and 825 stores in North America, PetSmart is living proof that Americans are no longer tight-fisted about their pets.
All in the Family
As much as 18-year-old Marcella Amado loves her dog, she thinks cosmetic surgeries and cloning attempts go too far. With those two exceptions, she’d do anything for her dog.
“They’re companions. They act as if they’re one of your own kids,” Amado says while Bandit, her two-year-old Papillon, laps up an iced-latte.
Amado is sitting with Bandit on the patio at In The Raw, a coffee, juice and dog bar in Scottsdale. Amado’s dog accounts for the majority of her budget.
“He’s spoiled. I get him doggy ice cream. I also bought him one of those gigantic dog beds for a big dog,” Amado adds. “I used to work at PetsMart just for the discount. I spend about $200 a month on him.”
Amado’s other Papillon is one of a growing number of Valley dogs taking advantage of acupuncture. Even at that, her dogs don’t drink bottled water. But Bill Fells of Washington-based PetRefresh says a number of Phoenix-area residents are buying bottled water for their cats and dogs.
Available in beef, chicken, fish and natural flavors, PetRefresh claims to offer a healthy drinking alternative for dogs, cats and other pets.
“I heat his food. He drinks chilled, bottled water,” Neuticles inventor Greg Miller says of Winston, his Boxer. “I look at myself, and I think ‘man, who owns who?’ I love it.”
“But why not?” Miller asks of seemingly-extreme pet costs. “What’s the harm? Who’s it hurting? If people don’t like it, tough cheese.”
