You may now kiss the pooch

Posted: Friday, October 05, 2007 4:29 AM by Eve Tahmincioglu
Filed Under: Customer service, Marketing, Financing, Back office, Entrepreneurship

If there ever were a sign of the end of civilized society it would be a dog wedding.

This past weekend a friend informed me she was going to the wedding of two dogs she knows – well, she knows the dogs’ owners, but let’s not let common sense bog us down.

The wedding was to be held at a local dog park and all the canines’ doggy chums and human chums were expected to attend. My friend even showed me a clipping from the local paper about the nuptials as proof it was going to take place.

There are even mass doggy weddings:

As I sat there wallowing in my shock and dismay, I suddenly could hear the voice of my late, serial-entrepreneur father saying: “Someone is making big money off of this.”

Indeed, the nation’s pet passion has sparked a multi gazillion dollar industry -- $40.8 billion to be exact, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

And it’s not just the mega pet stores and club warehouses making big bucks off of this. The little pet shops are also cashing in.

Where do you think you can find a doggy wedding gown anyway?

I called my local PetSmart superstore and they were sad to say they didn’t carry a tuxedo or gown for such an occasion. The guy on the phone told me to check the company’s website, but no luck there either.

You can, however, special order a wedding gown or tuxedo from Darci's All About Dogs Resort & Day Spa in Missouri City, Texas. Tuxedos cost about $45, depending on the size of the dog; and wedding gowns about $50 but there are some fancy ones that top $2,000, says owner Darci Davenport.

As an entrepreneur, Davenport realized there was money to be had in the dog world, but what really motivated her to open up her shop was her own passion for the little pooches, literally.

“I got my first small dog a few year back and I didn’t want to go to work and leave her. I loved her that much,” she says about her first little dog, a Shih Tzu. (She now has seven dogs in all, including five little ones.)

So about four and a half years ago, she launched her doggie business, leaving her job as a bar manager in a restaurant behind. When she opened her doors, people were lined up to get in and, she adds, business has been “awesome” ever since.

Turns out pet weddings are a growing phenomenon. So much so that Linda Simpson, owner of online dog boutique www.caitlyns-k9.com, will be adding wedding gowns this fall because “the market is getting bigger and bigger.” She already sells tuxedos.

While weddings are big, Halloween is even bigger among the really hairy set. Top sellers at her Web site -- bat dog and spider dog costumes for under $20.

Kiyoshi Ota / Reuters File

Well, I got a crash course in a whole world I never wanted to know anything about.

And that brings me back to the nuptials of Switzer, the Rottweiler, and Nana, the Huskie-Chow mix.

My friend who attended the wedding said it was “nice” but “bizarre.”

“They actually had a minister,” she said in amazement.

“Did anyone laugh?” I asked.

“No,” she answered. “It was serious. I guess because of the minister, everybody was respectful.”

Unfortunately, she added, all the food at the dog park wedding was for dogs, including a meatloaf three-tier wedding cake with mashed-potato frosting.

But, a lucky few, including my friend, were invited back to Nana’s owners house for a reception. Champagne and hors d’oeuvres were served. The dogs did not partake.

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