Luv a pup

If you want to know how a princess lives, consider Princess Cupcake, who has 46 dresses and hair clips to match, along with dozens of accessories. It’s more than I have in my closet.

She also makes regular trips to the spa, which I only dream of as an occasional treat.

One of her latest indulgences is a micro-bubble treatment and natural zen bath, which exfoliates her skin and removes toxins from her body.

Princess Cupcake is a silky white Maltese whose human companion, Amy Takahashi, dresses her in Juicy Couture as well as apparel from Cocojor Emporium & Spaw, including a vest and polo shirt ensemble designed by Cocojor owner Monica Shigenaga.

Shigenaga’s Hawaiian Doggie Aloha Shirt will be featured in June in the international Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, which offers the latest in gadgetry and innovative products. Another popular seller at Cocojor is the "Hawaii Five-0" doggie cooling vest, offering comfort on hot days, Shigenaga said. Cooling tank tops, mats, caps and bandannas are also available for the four-legged.

It may be a time of high unemployment and a decline in human living standards, but it seems that our pets’ living standards continue to improve. According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans spent about $50 billion on their pets last year, including about $3.65 billion on pet services — such as massages, manicures and teeth whitening — an amount that has doubled in a decade, despite a weak economy.

Princess Cupcake receives a spa treatment every two weeks at Cocojor, where a $75 package includes shampoo and conditioning (choice of original, plumeria, green tea or Japanese cherry blossom scents), deep cleaning and massage with a special bubble brush, drying, ear cleaning, nail clipping and a haircut.

The pampered pup is getting prettied up for the weekend, when she celebrates her first birthday at a party for seven dogs and about 40 humans. Takahashi will be decorating with streamers, balloons and a birthday banner. All the guests will go home with goodie bags, which for the dogs will include a ball, treats, poop bags and a toy. The canines will also enjoy their own buffet line of assorted treats, including warm pigs-in-a-blanket. A bone-shaped birthday cake will serve as their dessert.

Takahashi said she welcomed Princess Cupcake into her life after several years of trying to conceive a baby, a failed in vitro fertilization procedure and an ectopic pregnancy. If she couldn’t have kids, she decided, a pet could be a good surrogate. It took several weeks to talk her husband, Joe Kindrich, into getting a dog, but it only "took a couple of days for him to fall in love with her," Takahashi said. "She has become the love of our life."

Three months after Princess Cupcake joined their family, the couple conceived. They are expecting a baby boy in May, but Princess Cupcake is assured of her prominent place in the family.

"We give Princess Cupcake the praise and credit for our baby success as she reduced my stress level and brought much love, joy and happiness into our lives," Takahashi said.

Ron Darby, creator and producer of "The Pet Hui," which airs on Oceanic Cable channel 16, hears these kinds of stories on a regular basis. "We hear stories about dogs being rescued from shelters and later saving their owners’ lives. There’s no shortage of stories."

Darby says he started the series in 2008, when the pet industry started booming. Boutiques continue to pop up everywhere, and he said dog-walking services have also become popular.

In the show’s history, finding new material has never been a problem.

"People in Hawaii really love their pets," Darby said. "People tend to pamper their pets, even during a recession. They can’t afford to buy a new car, but can still afford to buy nice pet food for their dog."

While non-pet owners might consider the idea of such doting to be excessive and unnecessary, Darby says it’s all a matter of perspective. "Some people are willing to spend $100,000 on a car. Other people spend money on their dogs," he said, adding that he knows of someone who buys dresses for a pet guinea pig.

"Pets care about us, as much as we care about them. … It’s about what makes you happy."