Doggie Day Spa!

File this in your "Over the Top" mental folder. The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota has set up a Doggie Day Spa for their guest's pets.

"Initially there is a lot of playful behavior," says Darlene Davison, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota's spa director, "but soon their eyelids droop and their muscles relax under the massage therapist's soothing touch." Darlene is talking about massaging dogs -- canine.

How much do you think it costs to pamper your pooch, the Ritz-Carlton way?

Oh, about $130 per session. Add to the hotel's 20-pound weight limit and the additional $125 nonrefundable pet fee and the "privileged pup" plan comes out to a minimum of $12.75 a pound. And that's just the standard package.

For another $220, Ritz-Carlton adds gourmet dog biscuits, an in-room massage, a choice of nail buffing or nail polish, a souvenir photo, a brisk walk over Sarasota's scenic Ringling Bridge and a gourmet meal of organic stew and designer water.

The amazing thing is that obviously there is a demand for this kind of pooch pampering. Consider the following US Stats - our neighbours to the south spend about $38.4 billion on their pets annually, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturer's Association. Spending on pets increased an average of $2.3 billion a year since the association started tracking numbers in 1997.

Look for traveling with your pets as one of the upcoming trends in travel this year!