In Westbury, N.Y., a new Center for Specialized Veterinary Care offers treatments — most of which are paid for out-of-pocket — ranging from an estimated $300-to-$600 root canal to $112 acupuncture and $812 for a corneal transplant. Treatment is also available for cancer and brain tumors.

Dr. Diane Levitan said she opened the center six months ago with the idea of putting more compassion into pet care. "Like any child, pets should be treated as part of the family," Levitan said. "We're able to offer equal care, the same kind of care we would expect for our human kids."

At the luxury Loews hotels, room guests are not only welcome to bring their dogs and cats but are also offered room service with a menu ranging from $19 Bow Wow Tenderloin of Beef to $17 Kitty's Salmon Supreme and $17 Grrreat Vegetable Feast. All meals come with Evian Water and complimentary treats.

And at the Olde Towne Pet Resort in Springfield, Va., owners can drop off their pets for day-long spa treatments or a multi-day resort stay. Among the offerings: $1.75 per mile limousine service; a $30 half-hour sports massage; spa baths with pulsating jets; and $75 per night suites with TVs. The rooms also come with a complimentary shopping spree in which dogs are unleashed in a room full of stuffed animals and treats and allowed to grab for keeps whatever interests them.

The resort, which can accommodate about 250 dogs and 60 cats, has been running at near full-capacity since opening 11 months ago, with boomers representing about 30 percent to 40 percent of the clientele, said chief operating officer Joe Rinaldis.

"Pets are no longer something you keep chained up in the back," he said.

Vinz Koller, 40, a sociologist in Carmel, Calif., agreed. He and his wife Ann admit to doting over their Doberman-Rottweiler mix Roxie with more than her fair share of doggie toys and stuffed animals.

"Sometimes we joke about the poor dogless couple who have to have children," Koller said. "(Roxie) is like a lower maintenance kid. She certainly doesn't complain very much, and she's always adoring."