Key Takeaways
- From fancy collars to grass-fed cuisine, there’s a myriad of ways to spoil your dog, cat, horse or other pet.
- You can find airlines, hotels and spas that will treat your pets like VIPs.
- Pet pampering can also include foundational steps to improve their life and longevity.
If you’re a pet owner, you can probably relate to the occasional temptation to dote upon, indulge and even spoil your furry friends—perhaps with a passion and a price tag that exceed what most normal people might expect for quadruped companions.
Maybe it’s a scruffy terrier mix, a regal Siamese cat, a handsome quarter horse or a wise- cracking grey parrot. Regardless, for some high-net-worth individuals, animal companionship means much more than just keeping their pals fed and walked.
Case in point: Among ultra-affluent investors with $25 million or more of net worth (excluding primary residence), the majority—56.1%—say that one of their key family-related concerns is ensuring their pets are taken care of (see Exhibit 1). Younger investors in that group are even more focused on pet care, with 76.5% of Gen Xers concerned about their animals’ welfare.
A new squeaky toy every other month or some delicious scraps slipped surreptitiously table are often simply not enough, however. Some wealthy people like to treat their pets like royalty—indulging them with the finest fancy cuisine, outfitting them with plush luxury accommodations and grooming them with the luxury of a Swedish spa. To them, these pets are worth every bit of doting attention that is lavished on them. Designer doggie outfits, kitty jewelry, air travel, acupuncture—there’s no such thing as too much.
Are you someone who wants to give your pet the best—be it every day or even just once in a while when you feel like splurging? If so, here are some fun ideas to consider. *
Stylish haute couture
There’s plenty of fashionable clothing and accessories with which you can outfit your pet, often from big-ticket luxury brands such as Gucci, Hermès and Louis Vuitton. When your pet is wearing a diamond-studded collar or engraved gold ID tags, there’s no mistaking that they’re a pampered pooch or purr machine. One example of what’s out there: a $585 Simone dog harness made of REACH-certified leather and stainless steel, from Pagerie (an “ultra-luxury fashion house for pets”). Alternatively there’s Tiffany’s leather dog collar—in Tiffany blue, of course—with palladium-plated hardware for $420.
Wellness and relaxation
Does your pet deserve high-end “pawdicures,” massages and aromatherapy? Lots of professional groomers can provide services that will help your pet have a spa day. At Southern California’s Dog Resort, for instance, pets get the full deluxe treatment, such as the Hollywood Experience (“specialty cuts and styles”) and Diva Dog, which includes stylish cuts and color. Elsewhere, pets with medical issues might access therapies such as acupuncture, hydrotherapy and reiki sessions to relieve discomfort.
Of course, you can serve as your pet’s personal masseuse or masseur using high-end pampering products such as pet-friendly aromatherapy essential oils if you need your overstressed pet to relax, as well as nail polish pens to help your pet look extra fancy.
Traveling in style
When it’s time to travel, a steerage berth just won’t do—you’ll want your best friend nearby. A few options to be aware of:
- Airlines including Delta will sometimes allow pets to travel in-cabin on certain flights— sometimes even in first class, if you book far enough ahead and are able to secure a seat on the right flight.
- There’s also Bark Air, the “100% totally real airline for dogs” (air.bark.co), with select charter routes to cities including New York, Los Angeles, London and Paris. Just be prepared for the price: A round-trip flight between New York and Paris is $8,000 for a human-doggo pair.
- After arriving in those cities, consider pet-focused hotels, including the Pierre in NYC, which offers gourmet pet food and specialized grooming and spa treatments, and LeMeurice in Paris, which offers fancy treats and dog-walking services in the nearby Tuileries Garden.
Party time!
Treating your furry friends like they’re members of the family can even extend to parties and other social shindigs. Chances are an internet search of your geographic area will turn up pet party planners who can create wedding-level events that include high-end pet food and “cake” with beef and mashed potatoes, DJs, and pet-friendly party favors. Speaking of weddings, some planners will even arrange pet nuptials—just in case your stallion has his eye on the mare down the road.
Toys, gadgets and more
Tennis balls and rawhide? No way! Next-level pet owners go for all sorts of fun, fancy, interactive and high-tech toys for mental stimulation. Here are just a few:
- “WickedBone” from Cheerble offers “interactive auto-play modes” based on 12 types of emotion-driven systems.
- The Christian Louboutin Loubitoy Louis Gomme squeaky toy ($220 from Bergdorf Goodman) allows your pet to chew on a rubber simulacrum of a $1,000-plus leather sneaker.
- Have you considered a 3D, vulcanized black rubber version of the Celine Paris logo? One can be purchased for your teething puppy for $220 at Celine.com.
- The Yellow Fausta Dog Toy ($142 from bitchnewyork.com) is a “handmade dog toy in fine Casentino fabric” that your dog, if it’s anything like some others we know, would love to tear to shreds in mere minutes.
Fine dining
Dry kibble just doesn’t cut the mustard, and Fancy Feast just isn’t as fancy as it purports to be. If you want your pet to have something approaching a five-star dining experience, consider treating them to top-quality cuisine with fresh farm-to-table ingredients. There’s seemingly no shortage of companies that will sell you grass-fed, air-dried, organic, non-GMO meals designed by animal-focused nutritionists. For between-meal snacking, you’ll find options such as:
- Cat Sushi Bonito Flakes for felines, made from sushi grade Japanese tuna
- Bonne et Filou luxury dog macarons
- ElleVet Hemp CBD + CBDA Chews
- Beast & Bird freeze dried dog treats
Increase your pets’ overall health and longevity
Keep in mind that pampering your pet doesn’t have to start and stop with such Kardashianesque extremes. If you love your pet enough to cover them in Gucci, you clearly want them to be as healthy and in your life for as long as possible. Here are some basic steps and care practices you can take to help improve your best friends’ overall health and longevity so you can spend even more years spoiling them:
- Spaying and neutering. A basic first step. Unless you’re planning to breed your pet, this is a best practice that not only avoids unwanted litters of puppies and kitties but also can help reduce the risk of cancer and other ailments.
- Veterinary care. Obviously, a good vet for regular checkups, vaccinations, flea, tick and heartworm control, etc. is crucial. Find a good one. And keep close tabs on dental health—that’s important too.
- Nutrition. A high-quality diet, whether home-cooked or store-bought, is crucial for pet health. So are portion control and avoiding too many treats. For older pets, consider probiotic or joint health supplements as recommended by vets.
- Exercise. Just as important as good nutrition, pets—no matter what breed or species—need daily activity. Walks and jogs, swimming, playtime with other pets, and mental stimulation with puzzles and toys all are important to healthy minds and bodies.
- Stress management. Pets get stressed, just like you. Help keep them on an even keel with a consistent daily routine and a consistent feeding and sleeping schedule. Socialization with other people and animals is also key.
- Grooming. Regular bathing, brushing, moisturizing, and other hygiene and styling maintenance are important to your furry friends’ health and happiness.
- Love and care. Of course you know this already—spending quality time with your pet each day, with special attention to affection and stimulating play, is the way to encourage healthy resilience, wellness and longevity.
Planning and providing for your pets’ future
If you (like those ultra-affluent pet owners noted above) want to ensure your pet is taken care of, it’s worth considering a question that may feel uncomfortable: What happens to your beloved animal companions if they outlive you?
Preparing for your best friends’ future—should you predecease them or become incapacitated or need to move to long-term care—is an act of love and responsibility.
First, you should try to find a trusted person—family, friend, neighbor—who would be willing and prepared to care for your pet. Make sure they’re aware of your pet’s needs and habits, likes and dislikes. Create a care plan with a daily routine (feeding, exercise, sleep schedule), medical history, vaccination list, contact information for your vet, etc.
From a legal standpoint, you’ll probably also want to provide for your pets in your will. Specify the caregiver you’ve chosen for them, and set aside some funds to help cover their care. Some devoted pet parents may even consider establishing a pet trust, which specifies a legal framework to ensure those funds are managed properly and used for the pets’ best welfare.
Before all that, of course, you will want to engage in some financial planning to estimate the cost of your pets’ care in your absence, and you even should research how you may be able to make your pet the beneficiary on your life insurance policy.
One helpful early step might be to register with a pet protection service from humane societies such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Its guardianship and pet planning programs offer options for rehoming services and lifelong care.
Conclusion
Being able to treat your pet like royalty is a perk that accompanies having financial comfort and security for yourself. Even if some of these pet-pampering ideas seem silly or outlandish, you might be surprised by just how happy they make both you and your beloved cat, dog, horse or other animal.
*Examples are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation.
VFO Inner Circle Special Report
By John J. Bowen Jr.
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