My (Very Good) Life as a Dog

Local pet stores have inevitably joined restaurants, clothiers, and clubs in catering to the new rich. Bonejour (at stopdoggynudity.com) in Edina offers designer clothing lines for dogs (Downtown Doggy, London Dog), while LuLu & Luigi in St. Louis Park and Wayzata recently sponsored a canine version of TV's The Bachelor outdoors, selecting bride Pepper Von Cutie Pie from among 100 contestants and wedding her to starring "bachelor" Tony in a formal ceremony followed by a "ruffception." Until funding was pulled, a development at 925 N. 5th Street was slated to house Minneapolis K-9 Condos, a luxury dogcare complex complete with "dog exercise pool" and grooming area. (There are so many other high-end pet services that Minnesota Monthly recently listed the best: including parties, psychiatry, natural food, grooming, mobile grooming, behavior consultation, and photography.)

Until they get their condo, dogs will have to settle for the new PetsHotel, opened by national pet store chain PetsMart on July 31 in Eden Prairie. The care center offers a "Bone Booth" for animals to hear the voices of their vacationing owners. "Just call during lobby hours and we'll bring your pet to the phone if you want to chat," touts the website. Downtown Dogs in Minneapolis, meanwhile, offers a webcam (for you to watch your dog, not the other way around). Unfortunately, neither facility offers pet massage: For that, pooches and their indulgent owners will have to visit St. Louis Park's K9 Hydrotherapy.