Austin ricochets around the Ritz-Carlton hotel room, bouncing from bed to chair and leaping high to lick the face of his personal masseuse.
He's an energetic 4-year-old pug, so there is a lot of wriggling as his "privileged pup" pet massage begins. But soon his eyelids droop and his tiny muscles relax under the soothing touch of Darlene Davison, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota's spa director.
"OK, sweetheart, OK. There you go," coos Davison, creator of the luxury hotel chain's latest indulgence — the US$130 (NT$4,160) dog massage.
PHOTO: AP
For another US$220 (NT$7,040), the Ritz throws in gourmet dog biscuits, an in-room pet massage, a choice of nail buffing or nail polish, a souvenir photo, a brisk walk over Sarasota's scenic Ringling Bridge and a gourmet meal of organic stew and designer water served on a silver tray.
Americans spend about US$38.4 billion (NT$1.2 trillion) on their pets annually, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturer's Association. Spending on pets has increased an average of US$2.3 billion (NT$73 billion) a year since the association started tracking numbers in 1997.
"The trend, in the last year especially, is people enjoying things they can do with their pet," said Charlotte Reed, the New York-based author of the upcoming book Miss Fido Manners' Complete Book of Dog Etiquette. Reed has four dogs, three cats and several birds.
"People take their dogs to baseball games," Reed said. "People are going to fashion shows with their pets. People are going to benefits and art shows with their pets. You all dress nicely, put on your big diamonds and put on your pet's boa, or tuxedo shirt if it's a boy." (AP)
奧斯汀在麗池卡登飯店的房間跑來跑去，從床上跳到椅子，然後騰空跳起，舔牠私人按摩師的臉。
牠是一隻四歲大、活力充沛的哈巴狗，在「幼犬特別招待」的寵物推拿開始前，牠像一隻魚一樣扭來扭去，不過在達林．戴維森輕柔的按摩之下，牠的眼皮開始覺得沉重，小肌肉開始放鬆。達林．戴維森是賽瑞索塔市麗池卡登飯店水療中心的總監。
「好，甜心，對，就是這樣」，戴維森輕柔地說。他一手打造豪華飯店連鎖最新的奢華享樂︰要價一百三十美元（新台幣四千一百六十元）的愛犬推拿。
加付兩百二十元美元（新台幣七千零四十元），麗池卡登飯店就祭出狗狗美食餅乾、室內寵物推拿、指甲拋亮或指甲上油、紀念照一張、到賽瑞索塔市風景秀麗的林格大橋健走、有機美食濃湯，再以銀色托盤端上名牌礦泉水。
根據美國寵物產品製造商協會的調查，美國人每年花在寵物的支出約三百八十四億美元（新台幣一兆兩千萬元），自一九九七年美國寵物產品製造商協會開始追蹤這項數字以來，花費在寵物上的支出每年平均增加二十三億美元（新台幣七百三十億元）。
居住在紐約，即將出版「狗狗小花美姿美儀大全」的夏洛特．瑞德表示︰「這股潮流，在去年特別明顯，顯示出大家享受可以跟寵物一起做的事。」瑞德有四隻狗、三隻貓和好幾隻鳥。
「人們帶著狗去看棒球賽，」瑞德表示︰「大家不管去時裝秀、義賣或美術展都會帶著他們的寵物，每個人都盛裝打扮，戴上大鑽戒，為寵物戴上羽毛頸圈，如果是公的就穿燕尾服襯衫。」
（美聯社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
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