ANIMAL ATTRACTION A DOG OR CAT MAY BE EXPENSIVE, BUT TO MANY, IT'S A LUXURY THEY CAN ARF-FORD.

Byline: Barbara Correa Staff Writer

One day last March, Eric Friedman gave $1,000 to a Riverside dog breeder for his purebred Hungarian pointer, Norton. He never dreamed he'd end up spending 10 times that amount on the puppy in the six months that followed.

First, there was the $875 for 4 1/2 feet of chain-link fence to create a play area for Norton in the back yard. Then came the $100 doggie door, the $90 metal crate to help with housebreaking, the dog walker ($100 a week) and a $90-an-hour personal trainer to deal with ``biting issues.''

The trainer ended up spending two hours with Norton ($180), and the only tip she gave Friedman was that he should purchase a syringe, fill it with water and squirt it at the dog when he misbehaved.

``I've spent a good $10,000 on this dog,'' says Friedman, a legal recruiter in Los Angeles. ``And I'm not a freak - I don't spend money on clothes or anything.''

Southern Californians are spending thousands of dollars a year on health care, training and entertainment for their animals, making pet expenses among the top 10 living costs in some cases, above items like car insurance and telecom charges.

And spending is on the rise.

As the stock market has dropped the past several years, spending on pets has been moving steadily higher. In 1998, the nation's 63 million pet- owning households dropped $23 billion a year on their animals. By 2003, that number will be up around $31 billion, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturer's Association.

``Because times are getting harder and the economy is tight and people have more stress in their lives, they are realizing how important their pets are to them. So they are paying more attention to them and are willing to spend more money on them,'' said Daniela Ortner, executive director of Create-a-Smile, an animal assisted therapy nonprofit based in Santa Monica.

Trips to the vet account for the largest category of pet expenses, and owners routinely spend more money on medical care for their animals than on care for themselves, shelling out hundreds of dollars a month on medications.

Californians spend an average of $311 a year on medications for themselves, according to the 2001 Novartis Pharmacy Benefit report. But the tab for their pets can run several times that.

Gary Kennedy and Carol Laurence, a couple in Reseda, spend about $100 on special food and $250 a month on eye drops and an anti-inflammatory drug called Rimadyl for their four-dog family, which includes Big Al, a sickly bulldog; Siren, a Dalmatian who recently had a $700 kidney stone operation; Daisy, an arthritic terrier; and Hannah, a black lab with hip dysplasia.

``We've had kids, and we've had dogs,'' said Kennedy, a father of three human children. ``Dogs are more expensive.''

Anneta Denton, an animal trainer who also runs The Arphanage, an animal adoption agency in Ontario, said prospective pet owners often don't know what they're getting into. ``One woman called and said she had three kids and her husband thought they should get a dog. I asked her if she wanted another child. She said no. I told her not to get one.''

Denton says a cat can be kept for as little as $35 a month; a dog for $40 to $70, depending on size. At the same time, when a medical problem arises, ``the sky is the limit,'' says Denton.

She doesn't recommend pet medical insurance, which can be found for as little as $100-plus a year. Denton said most plans exclude major operations, which is exactly what pet owners need it for.

``It isn't worth it. I tell people to put the money in a savings account and save it for the time when the dog or cat gets sick and really needs it.''

For the well-to-do, the expenses can start adding up even before their pets see a doctor, with $100-plus rides to the vet.

Los Angeles Pet Taxi owner Susan George says she's shuttled a pot- bellied pig with kidney stones to her vet in Chatsworth, the Pointer Sisters' constipated iguana to his vet in the South Bay and two dogs from Los Angeles to Phoenix ($675).

More bank for the bark

Squirreling money away in the bank for a beloved pet might be the practical thing to do. But the typical Southern California animal owner has more of an eat, drink and be merry approach when it comes to budgeting for Bowser.

``I spend a fortune on leashes, collars, treats and beds,'' said Karen Cohen Bates, a show manager for the Worldwide Pet Supply Association in Arcadia and owner of Taffy, a golden retriever, and Bossie, a spaniel/collie mix. ``I haven't gotten into dressing them yet, but I put antlers on my golden at Christmas, and I don't think he liked it.''

Bates' most recent purchase was an elevated food bowl ($60), so the dogs could eat without bending down. Elevated bowls make swallowing easier and are recommended for congenital stomach or esophagus problems as an alternative to pricey surgery, said Dr. Sigdestad, a veterinarian at Loma Linda Animal Hospital.

``Rosie does get spoiled,'' said Justin Rudd, owner of an English bulldog and author of Haute Dog Happenings, a Web site about events for dogs in Long Beach. Rosie has a $300 dog chariot she reclines in while Rudd bicycles her around Belmont Shore.

She also owns six designer collars ($40 each), including a black leather one with inlaid silver bones. Rosie eats a special sweet-potato-and-fish food for her sensitive skin ($40 a bag), uses special shampoo ($75 a gallon) and gets peanut-butter filled bone treats ($4.99 each). For Halloween, Rudd spent about $40 on a tooth fairy costume Rosie wore in the annual Howl'oween parade in Livingstone Park. ``She's well worth it,'' he says. ``She's like a kid to me.''

Such pet pampering sometimes is in investment in job skills.

Pets living in Hollywood, for example, need to get their head shots ($200) and a personal trainer ($300 to $500 for six-eight weeks one-on-one) so they can earn up to $400 a day working on a film or TV set. After all, it takes money to make money.

About one-quarter of 50 canine students taking sheepherding lessons with the San Fernando Valley Herding Association are working farm dogs. The rest are pets of doctors, lawyers and actors, who want their dogs to exercise their herding instinct, said Ted Ondrak, who teaches sheepherding at Drummond Ranch near Acton and at a second site in Sylmar. Lessons are $30 for an initial ``instinct test,'' then $250 for an eight-class series.

High-maintenance habits

Still, a lot of money is spent on pure pampering. After a long, tough day, pet owners may want to check pooch (or kitty) into the Doggie and Cat Day Spa at the Redlands Animal Hospital, where a nail trim, ear cleaning, luxurious bath and ``anal gland expression'' will set owners back $20 to $30, depending on the size of the beast.

Spoiled pets also get feline futons ($35), tiaras ($25) and hats (Easter bonnets, baseball caps, cowboy hats, all $10), big sellers at Cat Couture of Beverly Hills, an online cat catalog that caters to people looking for a way to reward their animals. ``It does take a certain sense of whimsy and playfulness,'' says Bill Davis, who helps run Cat Couture with his wife, Calli. The two own six of their own cats, some of whom model the baubles and pet fashions the company sells. In the last year or so, Davis has seen demand rise for cat hats. ``It started with a lady from San Francisco who wanted a Giants baseball cap,'' he says. ``Your relationship with your pet is an escape from serious stuff.''

To be sure, the economic downturn of the past few years has forced some animal owners to cut back.

Eric Friedman, the Los Angeles owner of purebred pointer Norton, thinks twice now about traveling with his panting friend, since he now has to buy the dog his own seat. ``Plane fare used to be a $50 baggage upgrade; now you have to buy a ticket,'' said Friedman, who claims Norton's passage from Los Angeles to New York cost him $148.

Still, for all the grousing about costs, pet owners wouldn't consider giving up their furry companions, no matter how much money it might save.

``There are worse things to spend your money on,'' said Bill Davis. ``And they really do pay you back.''

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, chart

Photo:

(1 -- color) DOG BRUSH AND COMB

$8.99 and $7.49

(2 -- color) CATNIP TOY

$3.99

(3 -- color) TOOTHPASTE AND TOOTHBRUSH SET

$10.99

(4 -- color) DOG GARMENT

$13.49

(5 -- color) TENNIS BALL

$5.49 for a package of six

Chart:

PET SPENDING

SOURCE: American Pet Products Manufacturing Association, Inc.

Staff Graphic