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Move over, spoiled children. Pets are nipping at your heels to take their place as privileged members of the family.

And people don't have to be rich and famous to give their pets a taste of the good life.

"They are my girls," explained David Reynard, who is the proud owner of dogs Carrie, Cassie and Cleo. "Not everyone understands it, including some of my own family. But, for people like me who don't have children, well, the girls are my kids."

Reynard doesn't mind saying that he spoils his pets.

"Two of them sleep in the bed with me, with the smallest having to be under the covers," he said.

Mealtime brings more than just dry dog food for Reynard's dogs.

"They get sliced lunch meat as a treat every day and sometimes broiled chicken breast with their dinner."

The dogs have managed to wrap one of their neighbors around their paws, too.

"They are so spoiled that our neighbor, who is retired, purchases treats for them at the store so that he can give them treats. The two older girls now stand in the yard and stare into their patio door waiting to see someone walk past. When they see one of them, they bark until he brings them their treats."

Providing comfy accommodations for pets has also caught on in the business world.

In Mason, the newest PetSmart location just opened its PetsHotel, where pet parents can leave their dog or cat at doggie day camp or for overnight stays.

"We have a total of 153 rooms here," said Nicole Schimweg, the hotel manager.

Dogs can stay in the basic atrium rooms or can be upgraded to a suite, where they will get a hypo-allergenic lambskin blanket, a poochy cot and TV. Schimweg quickly pointed out the importance of this.

"The TVs remind them of the background noises at home and it makes them more comfortable."

While some people are born animal lovers, others take a little longer to get on bandwagon. Phillip Spence of Morrow never used to think people who spoiled their animals were a bit silly.

"That was before I got these two," he said as he held his two dogs, Linda and Scout, at Pon's Top Dog Grooming shop in Loveland.

"Now, I understand. To me and my family, they are practically human."

Spence's initiation into dog lovers' club was a shock.

"One day, my wife brought Linda home as a surprise," Spence said. "It just melted my heart."

Spence proudly admitted that the dogs are spoiled.

"They get groomed once a month," he said. "We buy them special food, and they eat at the table with us. They sleep in our beds, take showers and have pretty much no restrictions."