The pet economy is expected to grow more than 50% in coming years, powered by spending on sophisticated drugs and treatments — and more than a little pampering.
“I look back on it and say ‘How the hell did we do it?’,” said Gentile, who has daughters in high school and college. But she wouldn’t have had it any other way. And after Elvis died, she quickly purchased another dog, a Shih Tzu named Nico. She plans to fit him with a tracking chip and she pampers him with food made exclusively for the breed.