JUST HANGIN' WITH THE PACK DOGS SOON TO HAVE TARZANA DAY CARE CENTER OF THEIR OWN.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

TARZANA - As Jenny LeClair and Leslie Moskowitz see it, they're dealing with the world's most precious commodity on a daily basis.

No, not gold. Not plutonium. Not even Lakers playoff tickets. This duo works with something far more important.

``You're not dealing with clothes on a rack or sandwiches in a deli case - you're dealing with dogs,'' Moskowitz said. ``They can be like someone's kids. If I go out of town, I call every day to see how mine are.''

Pet care's popularity is booming, with consumer spending launching into the billions annually, and Moskowitz and LeClair are betting that people's love of their pooches will translate into success for Canine Connection.

The doggie day care has already done well with its first location in Malibu, an outdoor spot where canines cavort amid palm trees. Now, mindful of the high business traffic of Ventura Boulevard, the pair, both animal health technicians for Malibu Animal Hospital, will open a second location June 1 in Tarzana, at Corbin Avenue. Though they expect a warm reception from owners, it's the doggies who they figure will be most enamored with the facility.

``We even get people calling to see if particular dogs are coming that day,'' LeClair said, patting her own dog, a docile Australian shepherd-husky mix named Jack. ``They miss their friends.''

The new facility, decorated by friends and family with a tropical motif, will hold up to 25 dogs each day. While their owners are stuck at work, the canines will be romping with others, playing and relaxing out of the hot Valley weather. Such a service, while pricey at $35 per day, could be invaluable to a dog's mental health, according to pet experts.

``Dogs are pack animals, so they're used to being with more than one animal,'' said Corliss Krivoy, office manager for North Hollywood's Berkley Pet Hospital. ``Unless it's got something to do, it's just going to sit around sleeping most of the time, and that can lead to behavior problems.''

And now, more than ever, pet owners are looking out for their four-legged friends, said Karen Halligan, veterinarian for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles.

``It used to be when a dog got sick, you just took it outside and shot it,'' she said.

``Now people are much more attached to their pets; they get their teeth cleaned, they throw them birthday parties and they paint their nails.''

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Jenny LeClair and Leslie Moskowitz are using a tropical theme for their Canine Connection day care center for dogs.

(2 -- color) LeClair and Moskowitz polish the center's motto: ``We don't need no stinkin' leashes.''

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer