From sweaters to entry doors, Tucsonans love including their pets on holiday lists

Candy cane hand-knit sweaters, ruby red velvet cuddle cushions and $800 hi-tech gadgets are just some of the holiday gifts on the market – for your pets.

Pet owners this year were expected to spend an estimated $41 billion on their furry friends, up from $17 billion in 1994, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

The association also reported 56 percent of dog owners and nearly half of all cat owners will be using some of that cash to buy their cherished creatures holiday gifts.

Pima Animal Care Center reported that more than 100,000 dogs are licensed with the county in a typical year. That means more than 50,000 stockings will be stuffed with pig ears, chicken jerky and monster boxes of crispy biscuits.

Tucson pet owners, who don’t necessarily wait for the holidays to pamper their pooches, say every penny is worth it.

Engineer Deb Ross, 51, already bought her Great Dane mix Scout the $800 hi-tech doggie door. She’s also spent more than $2,500 on an electronic fence and lifetime training lessons, not to mention the cost of doggie day care.

“Yes, Scout is spoiled,” Ross said, “but deservedly so. Before adopting him, I’d come home to an empty house with nothing much to do. Now I look forward to spending time with my big bundle of joy, taking him places, or just cuddling up on the sofa to watch television.”

She has only one regret about her big dog: that some of the silliest sweaters never come in his size.

Yorkshire terriers Stella and Lola never have that problem.

“They have a whole wardrobe with all kinds of festive things,” said owner Shelly Sanders. “Easter dresses, Halloween costumes, Christmas sweaters, biker wear. They have University of Arizona cheerleading outfits they wear to tailgating parties.”

She said all the pampering is worth it to see the smiles in every eye that spies the doggie duo.

One of the most extravagant items Sanders bought was a $150 hand-knit sweater embroidered with Stella’s name. That – and first class airplane tickets.

“They travel everywhere with us,” said Sanders, a certified yoga instructor who makes frequent trips to Los Angeles and New York.

When financial adviser Ann Nelson embarks on business travel, she entrusts her shih tzu, Victoria, to dog sitters.

But not without making sure the dear dog has all the necessities – like a chaise lounge from Neiman Marcus and a $200-plus Burberry coat she picked up for her pooch in London.

“Sometimes I think she has more clothes than I do,” said Nelson, 58.

Some pets can be spoiled even without designer coats or doggie loungers.

“We don’t live an extravagant lifestyle,”said Joan Visconti of herself and her dog Shree, a mixed breed, “but I share whatever bounty I have.”

In addition to whipping up goodies for her guests at Thanksgiving, Visconti, 50, hooked up a special plate heaped with turkey and all the fixings for Shree.

She is also known to stop for an ice cream cone they both end up sharing.

“Having Shree in my life gives me a sense of purpose,” said Visconti, who retired with a chronic illness, “and a damn good reason for getting out of bed in the morning.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Local. Tags for this post: Crime/Safety, Local-Crime/Safety, page-a03, Ryn Gargulinski. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.