Svoboda is speaking of his and his wife Margaret’s decision to open Arbor Dog Daycare & Boarding in 2006. “Now,” Svoboda says, “pet-related products and services are a $50 billion business.”

In the past most dogs lived outside, eating scraps, and sheltered in a barn or doghouse. As the nation prospered following World War II, they began to move inside. With their status elevated by an increase in single professionals, adults without children, and empty nesters, many are now embraced as family members: they sleep on comfy indoor dog beds (or crowd the beds of their owners); eat special high-priced raw and grain-free diets; and receive services from dog walkers, trainers, visiting vets, groomers, masseuses, and psychics.

No wonder, then, that the doggy day care business is booming. There are at least eight in Ann Arbor, with many more operating out of dog-lovers’ homes.

In November the Svobodas moved Arbor Dog from a 3,000-square-foot facility on S. Main to one twice as big on South Industrial. Boarding dogs sleep together overnight in a dorm-like room with a caregiver and TV, dog beds, and a human couch and bed for their use. Many cuddle up on the bed next to the caregiver.

While Arbor Dog is one of a kind, Camp Bow Wow, on S. State, is a franchise with nearly 200 U.S. and Canadian locations, each boasting a log-cabin camp theme, with a fireplace and chairs at the entrance. Dogs are “campers,” and caregivers are “camp counselors.” “The dogs are kids,” explains manager Ellen Macnee. “They’re part of families. They’re also pack animals that need socialization and playtime. Here, they play all day and then snooze the night away.”

Karnik Pet Lodge, in back of the Maple Village shopping center, boasts state-of-the-art air filtration, vacuum and self-cleaning floor systems, and easy-to-clean outdoor doggy turf. Part of a small, Ohio-based chain, it has two floors of Plexiglas-walled rooms and suites with automatic water wells that border the white-plastic-fenced play areas. A separate section near the entrance is for kitty boarding. (“We haven’t really had anyone bring their cat in for day care,” says marketing and events coordinator Tori Davidson.)

Single and married professionals make up most of the doggy day care customer base. Dogs are placed in playgroups based on size and temperament, and webcams let owners check in on their four-legged friends. Some places include all services in a set price, while others have a la carte menus. Day care prices at the places we talked to range from $15 for a half day up to $27 for a full day. Each center also offers bath and nail trimming services as well as specialty retail products. Karnik’s Davidson reports that the iced dog biscuits displayed in a clear case at the front desk “taste really good. You’d never know they’re dog biscuits.”

Moe, the beloved boxer of Stephanie and Dei McCarty, has been to Camp Bow Wow and Karnik. Moe has also attended, with his fellow day care dog mates, some of Karnik’s many themed parties–Tailgate, Blizzard, Valentine’s Day, and Spring Fever. Dei says doggy day care is just what high-energy Moe needs–he comes home exhausted and less hyper. “Instead of having to take him for a w-a-l-k (he’s listening in, so I can’t say it, or he’ll go nuts) after work, we come home and relax,” Stephanie says.

Leslie Kamil’s golden doodle, Samson, and double doodle, Levi, have been going once or twice a week to Arbor Dog for years. “Even though they play with each other, there’s a value in their being able to socialize with other dogs and learning how to behave,” Kamil says.

“When I say to Levi that we’re going to ‘school,’ he spins around in circles in the kitchen and then heads to the car.”