The pet industry has a word for it. It's "humanization". Do you know what I mean? It's what we do to our pets. That's right. We love them so much we are humanizing them. We put them in strollers, car seats, seat belts, clothes, shoes, goggles, daycare. We take them to bakeries, to the park to play with their friends, on the Monon trail in bike baskets or on foot with their own backpacks and water bottles. We buy them Halloween costumes and Christmas stockings. And if you didn't know, there are now dog beds with memory foam. We offer them steps to climb onto our high beds and ramps to climb into our SUVs. We offer them yoga, Reiki and Prozac. Who says "it's a dog's life"? We've come a long way from when Fido was in the backyard in a dog house.

Actually, I don't think there are anymore Fidos or Spots. We've humanized their names as well. Working in a dog store, I get to know my dogs by name. You've heard of the top ten names for boys and girls. I could probably do a list for dogs. Number one would be Izzy (Isabelle). Sophie and Sadie are right up there. Unisex would be Bailey. Names are fun. I have two lovely lady bull dog customers that could be sisters but they don't know each other. Their names are Olivia and Vivien. Sam is the bull dog gentleman they need to meet.

Now, speaking of bull dogs and humanization, let me tell you about the June wedding. A customer comes into my store and says she needs to buy a wedding gift for the dog wedding she's been invited to. I asked her if this was a breeding or mating thing and she says no, that the two families are putting on a wedding for their dogs. It seems the daughters arranged the nuptials. We selected appropriate gifts and talked of the arrangements. Three Dog Bakery supplied the cake. The groom was a bull dog named Pudge and the bride was a springer spaniel named Oreo. I learned later that she did wear a veil. The outdoor reception was a barbecue. I went to Three Dog Bakery and met the bakery owners, Scott and Stacy Petcu. Scott told me that he has done other wedding cakes as well. We smiled about the fun of it all. I told them that City Dogs Grocery can do wedding cakes as well (they're out there folks). As I left their store, I picked up a free copy of the magazine "Pet Quarterly" summer issue. I opened up the cover and right in front is an advertisement for another pet business and, don't you know, it featured two dogs dressed as a bride and groom! Maybe there's a new career... Doggie wedding planner. We at City Dogs have sources to provide the tux. Come see us. Scott and Stacy will help with the reception. You gotta smile and, after all, isn't that what it's all about? Pets make us happy.