There was a day when pampering your pet meant letting your dog beg at the kitchen table. Not anymore. These days the term "creature comforts" has taken on a whole new meaning, and an industry has developed to leash its potential.

You can treat your dog to a smoothie and a muffin in the morning, then drop her off at day care for a few hours before driving her to massage therapy. After her dinner of smoked salmon and bottled water, you can take her for a walk, being sure to put her in the stroller so she doesn't chip her nail polish.

Two out of three dog and cat owners consider their pets to be members of the family, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. No wonder more than $31 billion was spent on pets last year for everything from food to grooming and health care.

Demographics are driving all this pet pampering, according to Bob Vetere, APPMA director. As more children leave the nest and more young couples postpone having children, animal companions are filling the need for unconditional love. Pets may not be kids, Vetere said, but they are increasingly being treated as such.

"Animals have become a significant part of families," Vetere said. "There are people willing to spend whatever it takes to make their pet happy, even if it means not buying something for themselves. I've even known of cases where people forgo their own medical care to pay vet bills."

One look in the Valley's back yard tells the tale. The last few years have seen the start of day-care centers, resorts, boutiques and bakeries aimed at the refined (and unrefined) four-legged set.

At It's a Ruff Life Doggy Daycare, the members of the High Powered Play Group, still in the midst of their favorite game ("I Wanna Sniff That!"), begin to bark in anticipation.

Owner Eileen Proctor and the Ruff Life counselors fit each pooch with a birthday hat before bringing in the bone-shaped, carob-and-peanut butter cake from Three Dog Bakery. It's time to celebrate the month's birthdays, a joyous occasion that results in more barking and sniffing.

Of course, people keep track of their pets' birthdays. And yes, Proctor said, some parents (don't call them owners) take off from work to take part in the celebration.

Ruff Life, which opened in October 2000 in a former preschool (draw your own irony), hosts about 50 dogs a day, from Pomeranians to pinschers (split into play groups by size). Business, Proctor said, is very good.

"These dogs are children to a lot of people," Proctor said. "They feel guilty leaving their tail-wagging tots at home."

That's how Carol Forrest feels about her 4-year-old dachshund, Maxie. Not only does Maxie visit Ruff Life twice a week, but she also goes to doggie camp once a year at Lake Tahoe in Nevada. Maxie spends a week with other canines at Camp Winnaribbun, doing the usual camp activities such as hiking, and arts and crafts.

Forrest, a registered nurse from Tempe, also knits sweaters for her pet, using a dog-sweater pattern and making it a bit longer to fit her low-slung pooch.

"I don't have kids, so I can do these things," Forrest said. "I don't do anything unusual. It's about making your pet happy, and that's something most people do."

And happiness is what day care is about, Forrest said. Maxie loves being with dogs, and it's that camaraderie that makes Ruff Life popular, Proctor said.

Both pet and owner benefit from the service. Dogs are happy and tired, and parents don't feel guilty for not wanting to play after work. At day's end, there is joy all around when people pick up their Luke, Molly or Cody. Fewer people are giving their pets typical names like Wags or Pepper, Proctor said.

Kona, a 2-year-old golden retriever from Chandler, knows it's going to be a good day when she sees her leash draped across her master's laptop at the door. That's the family sign for "It's a Ruff Life day," said Melissa Allmeier, 32, who takes Kona to day care twice a week.

Allmeier wants the best for Kona, as when she cooks chicken or turkey for her furry child. She also bakes dog biscuits once a month. She considers day care almost essential.

"She loves seeing other dogs," Allmeier said. "Though I have to give her a kiss in the car on the way to Ruff Life because once she's through the front door, she doesn't even turn around to say goodbye."

Sometimes day care isn't enough, and you need overnight accommodations for your pet. You could choose a neighborhood kennel or, as hundreds are doing, take your pet to a resort.

Almost Home is the Ritz-Carlton of boarding facilities. Run by an animal behaviorist, Almost Home has 14 suites (the "k" word is never used), large beds and a spacious play area. There's not a spec of chain-link fencing in sight.

Tom Hebert built the resort adjacent to his home in north Scottsdale. Each of the rooms looks on the Great Room, a large tiled room with furnishings designed to give the resort a homey look. There's art hanging in each suite, and Hebert leaves the TV on much of the time, a technique owners use to calm their pets.

"Pets are more relaxed when it feels like home," Hebert said. "It's amazing how quiet they are."

At the Applewood Pet Resort in Paradise Valley, guests not only have the use of a 28-inch-deep, bone-shaped pool, but several suites are equipped with a TV. Yes, they have cable. The resort's 150 regular rooms requently sit vacant, but the 18 suites are always booked, said owner Clay Coady, who opened Applewood six years ago. Despite a slowing economy, business is booming.

"I have a lot of baby boomers whose children have left," Coady said. "People seem to get closer to their pets as they get older."

Resorts designed for the bipedal set are also investing time and money into making things cozy for cats and canines. Pets traveling with their human companions receive a tag and a treat upon checking in at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess. Special animal-enhanced rooms include blankets, water and food bowls, toys and snacks. The cost of the service is $30.

Travelers who want to leave their animals at home rely on pet-sitting services, although Iris Midler of Scottsdale has taken it one step beyond with Golden Paw Concierge. Not only will her employees stop by several times a day to feed and walk pets, but they'll also arrange for grooming or a massage, or to go shopping (Midler once stopped at AJ's Purveyor of Fine Foods to get a filet mignon for a hungry pooch).

And some people hire Golden Paw to stay all day, paying $125 for 24 hours.

Midler also has organized canine birthday parties at In the Raw, a coffee and smoothie bar that also caters to those who fetch. Partygoers enjoy Mutt Muffins (an organic blend of fruits and veggies sweetened with apple juice) with a smoothie chaser. Guests often finish with a frolic in the fire-hydrant fountain, built when the Maricopa County Health Department told owner Brenda Minton that dogs could not belly up to her smoothie bar.

Since In the Raw sits along a popular pedestrian path near a small lake, dogs and their companions often stop for a snack. Bagels and coffee are most popular among the opposable-thumb set while pooches go for the Mutt Muffins, Minton said.

"The muffins are so good that people eat them," she said. "But I don't recommend it."