Dog Days

摘要

Michael bannerman, 44, is a hardened criminal defense attorney in Philadephia's mean streets, but when it comes to his dog, Laci, a 2-year-old Chinese Crested Powder Puff, the man is mush. Bannerman spent $1, 500 last year on his lapdog, buying her everything from canine jewelry to handmade dog beds. Laci's 11 outfits include a mock fur coat and a motorcycle jacket. Fifteen different styles of leash hang from the front door of his home and the floor is littered with dog toys. "Laci is definitely a kid substitute," says Bannerman, engaged to a woman who owns five cats. "I got Laci after I turned 40 and realized I wasn't going to have kids." Bannerman's feelings for Laci aren't an aberration but part of a social trend. Not only do more people keep an animal, but a lot of people treat them royally. Pet spending in the U.S. is estimated at $34 billion . this year, up 68% net of inflation over the past decade. It's an industry apparently immune to recession and, though once thought to be mature, it is now expected to grow more than 6% a year for years to come. Already its sales dwarf those of toys ($20 billion) and candy ($24 billion). The fastest-growing groups of pet buyers, according to Consumer Products & Services Trend Report, are empty nesters and young profes-sionals who postpone starting families but want a substitute.