Eleven-year-old Roxy enjoys a pampered life at home in Freehold Township. For some pet owners in central New Jersey, no price is too high when treating their pets to the finest services and amenities. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR For some pet owners, the phrase “man’s best friend” is an understatement. They consider themselves “fur moms,” and their pets are their “fur babies.”
Throughout central New Jersey, a market exists for the pet owners who are happy to splurge on their animal companions — from massages to acupuncture to psychics.
There is no price too high for the fur moms in treating their pets to only the finest, and no luxury too extreme, according to Jennifer Smiga of Purr’N Pooch Pet Resorts in Tinton Falls. “There are those people and that percentage that spends the money and has that income to do it,” Smiga said. “A lot of millennials are doing that. These are their babies. They’re not having children until they’re older, so they’re spending more money on their pets.”
But the fur mom should not be considered a gender-specific term, Smiga said.
“I try not to exclude the men, because you wouldn’t believe how many men run in Purr’N Pooch with their tiny dogs,” Smiga said. “I always think it’s the wife’s dog, and 90 percent of the time it’s the man’s dog.” Whoever the fur mom may be, Purr’N Pooch offers a variety of amenities for owners seeking extravagant treatment for their pets, such as pools, wardrobes, parties and massages.
“Any dog can benefit from a pet message, and older dogs specifically,” Smiga said. “They say it can decrease stress and anxiety, strengthen immunity, improve digestion, [provide] a healthier coat, less muscle tension, increase circulation … it’s different than at home when you’re petting your dog.
“If you would go to a pet massage professional, these are people that really understand how to massage certain muscles, how to stimulate circulation, and how to work with nervous and anxious dogs. You can even learn from some of these people how to massage a pet at home.”
Purr’N Pooch also provides services for “creative grooming,” when a parent will dye his or her dog a certain color. Dogs have been made to look like bumblebees, and some receive heart shapes in celebration of Valentine’s Day.
For the Super Bowl, people will dye their pets to resemble their sports team’s color, Smiga said.
“[The dye] they use is safe, and obviously if the dog is not comfortable at all with it being done, they’re not going to do any of this stuff,” Smiga said. “[Purr’N Pooch] will tell you if the dog is not comfortable doing it.”
Purr’N Pooch also offers packages for couples getting married, so that the pet can take part in the celebration just as much as the bride and groom. If a couple wants their dog involved in the wedding ceremony — without giving a family member the burden of babysitting the dog — Purr’N Pooch will send someone to watch the dog at the wedding. Afterward, the dog will be brought back to Purr’N Pooch to have a vacation of its own while the couple embarks on their honeymoon.
“While mom and dad are being spoiled, they can be spoiled at the resort,” Smiga said.
Many pet spas and resorts throughout Central Jersey offer extravagant treatment for dogs, such as K-9 Resorts Daycare & Luxury Hotel, which has locations in Middletown and East Brunswick.
At K-9 Resorts, dogs that receive a luxury suite package will be housed in rooms of their own, including a television that is tuned in to Animal Planet.
“A lot of pets like having something to keep them occupied,” K-9 Resorts co-founder and President Jason Parker said. “They like to have some kind of constant background noise or music. It helps to soothe them, so we have Animal Planet on so they can hear people’s voices. They can hear other dogs, and it’s calming.”
Parker also said that dogs are bathed with the most premium dog shampoo: Les Poochs, a brand originating from Paris.
“We have heard a lot of our clients say, ‘My pet is staying at a nicer hotel than the one we’re staying at,’ ” Parker said.
Some pet owners give their pets the “spa treatment” for medical reasons. At Animal Health Care of Marlboro, arthritic dogs — or animals seeking additional exercise and weight-loss management — can use the hospital’s water treadmill.
“We’re kind of like the personal trainer or gym for dogs,” veterinarian Deborah Breitstein said, adding that cats occasionally use the water treadmill, as well. “We are here to provide good health and well-being, both physically and emotionally, to the pets in our care.”
Animal Health Care of Marlboro also provides acupuncture — the ancient art of applying needles to points in the body — for dogs and cats to ease pain and improve mobility.
Charles Schenck, a veterinarian who practices acupuncture, makes weekly trips to the hospital to provide the service. He also makes weekly visits to Edgebrook Animal Hospital in East Brunswick.
“I can usually add two years [of life] onto a dog,” Schenck said.
Though most people are initially nervous about having their animal partake in acupuncture, he said the treatment helps older or sick animals feel an enormous sense or relief.
“You will see a change, as the dogs go home and they pick up a toy they haven’t played with in six months,” Schenck said. “Well, that’s an indication that they must feel better, or they wouldn’t have done that. … They control their urine and bowel movements better, they go on and become more comfortable and regain their position in the family.”
Some parents even go the extra mile to understand their dog or cat on a more spiritual level.
Sharen O’Brien of Freehold works as a pet communicator, which is a term she prefers to “pet psychic.” By using the Japanese practice known as reiki, O’Brien communicates with animals and helps their owners understand what may be causing their stress.
“Ultimately, my goal is to help people build a better relationship with their companion animal,” O’Brien said. “Animals truly do want to communicate with us, and this is so important.”
She cited an example where a dog was calm around a small number of animals, but whenever it went to a dog park, the dog would “freak out.” After communicating with the animal, O’Brien said she was able to determine that the dog had come from a hoarding situation, and being at a dog park reminded the dog of being hoarded.
“Little by little, you could introduce her to animals, but she just didn’t like when a whole bunch of them came close to her because she felt she was going to be confined again,” she said.
O’Brien, who works out of Unity Healing House in Long Branch and the Center for Relaxation and Healing in Plainsboro, said it is important for people to understand their pets’ emotional needs.
“I don’t want people giving up on their pets if there’s issues,” O’Brien said. “It always upsets me to see somebody giving away a pet. I hate to see that happen, because it’s preventable.
“So for me to get somebody to understand an animal, it really is important. It’s a big step forward toward animals being happy and less animals given back to shelters and homeless situations.”
Some people are interested in having memories of their pets preserved through professional photography. Sonya Kolb, based in Holmdel, is a professional pet photographer, and owner of Good Doggy Photography.
Kolb said her specialty is being able to capture a dog’s “true personality and spirit,” and has techniques she uses to make dogs comfortable in front of a camera.
“I love working with clients where their dogs are very important members of the family and they need to be displayed on the wall right next to the entire family,” Kolb said. “They are treated like beloved members and companions, and they are very special. They have a special place in the hearts of their owners.
“And it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”