From AP:

SARASOTA, Fla. - Austin ricochets around the Ritz-Carlton hotel room, bouncing from bed to chair and leaping high to lick the face of his personal masseuse. He’s an energetic 4-year-old pug, so there is a lot of wriggling as his “privileged pup” pet massage begins. But soon his eyelids droop and his tiny muscles relax under the soothing touch of Darlene Davison, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota’s spa director.

“OK, sweetheart, OK. There you go,” coos Davison, creator of the luxury hotel chain’s latest indulgence — the $130 dog massage.

Figure in 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 the basic package.

For another $220, the Ritz throws in gourmet dog biscuits, an in-room pet 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 served on a silver tray.

Florida law says veterinary procedures — including massages — must be done in a vet’s office unless it is for educational purposes. So Davison and five other dog-certified spa employees use the hour to demonstrate Swedish, sports or relaxation massage techniques to dog owners.

The Sarasota Ritz dog massage program is a pilot program for the whole chain, Davison said. She began offering services about three months ago and said business has varied from a peak of three canine customers in a week to no takers for several weeks in a row.

Having partly grown up in Sarasota, I’m not surprised to hear about this. It sounds like a good alternative to walking your dog around St. Armand’s Circle.

Says one customer:

“I would spend $250 to get us both rubbed down … so I can look over and smiling adoringly at my pet enjoying herself,” Reed said. “That would be fun for me.”

This reminds me of that scene from Down and Out in Beverly Hills - when they hired a dog psychologist.. Perhaps all Matisse needed was a nice massage.