Hit the Road

What do you do on your weekends? If you have a pampered pooch, according to two recent newspaper articles you might spend your weekends following your pet here, there and everywhere--even down the aisle!

On April 11, The New York Times did a great feature on Travels with Fido and His Hair Spray, straight out of the film, Best in Show. Life on the dog show circuit is indeed a weekend adventure, with many handlers hitting the road every single weekend. There is heavy grooming involved--most of which must be done right before the dog goes into the ring--so these pet parents are also professional hairdressers to their stars. I am always so amazed when I see the handlers in the ring wearing black. Why aren't they covered in dog hair?

The best story was from the owner of three Norwegian elkhounds--big, furry beasts--whose owner decided to bathe her dogs the night before they set out for the dog show. She washed them, but didn't dry them, which she discovered the next day was a "big mistake." She loaded everyone in the car and opened her window--just a crack. "The wind began--instantly--to circulate like crazy in my Honda Civic and the hair came off in huge chunks. Before you knew it, I had a full-fledged furricane on my hands. I could barely see, there was so much elkhound hair flying everywhere."

To me, it sounds like one of my regular car trips with my own furry beasts. What is it about dog hair that makes it stick to every surface in the interior of a car--even those you didn't realize existed?

This is clearly something you should consider if you are thinking about transporting your dearly beloved pet to his/her nuptials, apparently another popular weekend outing among the canine set. The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday reported on the booming pet wedding business, complete with, you guessed it, wedding planners, caterers, trainers and even priests. "Holy Muttrimonies, Bark Mitzvahs and pet ceremonies in general have really started taking off," said Diana Guerrero, animal behavior expert and pet trend watcher. (Since when did pet trend watcher become a profession?)

Pet wedding ceremonies cost a pretty penny--the Mutt Club in Los Angeles charges between $700 and $1000 a day for their facility--and often come with cake, photographer, and wardrobes for the bride and groom. Of course, there are plenty of cake bakeries that will provide cakes for those who prefer home weddings. And yes, there are even destination pet weddings. In Oahu, Hawaii, according to the Inquirer, the Reverend Kermit Rydell will hitch your pooches on the beach.

Frivolous no doubt, and expensive for sure, but all indications of how we Americans have come to regard our pets as members of the family. As for mine, they will have to settle for sleeping on the bed.