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Doggies who lunch

By Farnoosh Torabi | Special to amNewYork

April 10, 2006

Virgil lives the good life.

He likes to begin his weekdays with breakfast in bed. Then it's on to lounging with friends and watching daytime talk shows; Maury Povich is his favorite. Later, he jogs a few laps at the indoor gym, followed by a warm bath and strawberry hair conditioning at the spa. While he's at it, he may opt for a pedicure. Then he naps.

It sounds like the diary of a hotel heir, but it's all in a pampered pooch's day at WoofSpa and Resort, a 3-year-old doggie day care center appropriately located on a trendy strip of Hudson Street bordering Chelsea and the West Village.

"Pets have become more like family members," said WoofSpa owner Keith Acker, a proud parent of two Wheaten Terriers. "Pet owners, more than anything, want an environment for them that offers good quality and care."

Price is not an issue. A single day at WoofSpa costs $43.50. Unlimited monthly visits run $500. The business also offers dog walking, overnight care, grooming and a personal driver who can take dogs to and from home.

"The dog's happiness comes first," WoofSpa manager Greg Forte said.

In a city with roughly 120,000 licensed dogs, demand is plentiful. In the last year alone, WoofSpa's canine clientele has grown by more than 30%.

Its success mirrors a nationwide boom in the pet-care industry, where Americans spent more than $2 billion on pet services like boarding and grooming last year, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

As a result, similar businesses are popping up throughout the city. About half a dozen similar pet centers sit within a 10-block radius of Woofspa.

To keep up, Acker plans to remodel the 7,000-square-foot space this summer to make it more "luxurious and interactive." The walls, for example, will be replaced with glass.

The competition has WoofSpa shifting the way it does business by choosing its clients more carefully.

"We're fine-tuning our client base," Acker said. "There'll be much more scrutiny of a dog's personality."

Farnoosh Torabi is the business producer at NY1 News. If you know a small business with an interesting story, please e-mail her at AMSmallBusiness@gmail.com