How Atlanta's bougie dogs are living like humans

Why it matters: Recent studies show dog ownership can relieve stress and anxiety, as well as get us off the couch more often, which in turn helps us live longer, Axios' Erica Pandey reported.

• A dog's unconditional love can help boost our mood and address the loneliness epidemic, according to Axios' Carly Mallenbaum.

Today's dogs are not your parents' pups

What they're saying: Amber Garnett told Axios that she grew up with dogs at home, but they stayed outside most of the day, went to the vet "every once in a while" and ate food you could buy at grocery stores.

• Now that she has her own dogs, the Tucker resident says she's taken it to another level — so much so that her mom joked that she should talk to her accountant "about them being dependents."
• "I feel like it's that way, partly because…as a millennial, they are like our children," she says.

Garnett's daily routine with her two dogs — a four-year-old female husky/Chihuahua mix and a nine-month-old male husky/German shepherd/pit mix — begins with a 45-minute walk, followed by breakfast.

• Later in the day, the dogs have "enrichment time" (designed to give dogs mental stimulation) where they go for another walk, play with a flirt pole in the backyard or devour frozen yogurt and fruit off a lick mat.
• The puzzle toys she's purchased after finding them on Instagram have helped maintain the energy level of her younger dog.
• Her dogs eat salmon-based Blue Buffalo Wilderness and treats from Himalayan dog chews and Big Daddy Biscuits.

Melissa Brown, a former Atlanta resident who now lives in Santa Clara, California, tells Axios that her family is from Jamaica and that, growing up, having a dog "just was not a thing that was taught to me in my household."

• Brown and her husband own a nearly two-year-old mini American Shepherd that eats Purina Pro Plan dog food, has recurring Chewy and Bark Box subscriptions for toys and takes daily 30-minute walks.

Context: Timbrala Marshall, who leads VCA Animal Hospital's medical operations, tells Axios that the increased attention owners are giving to their pets is spurring them to have regular discussions with their veterinarians about products, behaviors and training methods.

• "It's … really cool to see how that has created more and more generations that love pets because … they see them as their family," she says.

Zoom out: Companies are also catching on to how people and their dogs are nearly inseparable.

• Bark Air, a boutique dog-first airline, offers luxury round-trip flights for dogs from New York to Los Angeles and London. The airline recently expanded to south Florida, Phoenix and the Bay Area.
• Sniff Spot offers dog parents without lawns an opportunity to rent private yards by the hour.

Dog park glow-up

Even your neighborhood dog park ain't the same. Gone are the days when you have a simple fenced patch of grass.

• Dog parks now have music, beverages, comfortable seating, water features, tennis balls and TVs where you can watch your favorite sports team.

Wendy Newman, co-founder of Off Leash dog park in Alpharetta and the forthcoming Decatur location, tells Axios she launched her business after realizing many people were spending more time, money and energy on their dogs.

• Off Leash's Alpharetta park opened about two months ago and has an uncovered outdoor area, a covered part equipped with chairs, fans and heaters and an on-site restaurant with a dog-friendly patio.
• The Decatur location, which is set to open next year in downtown, will be smaller with the same features.

Between the lines: This shift in amenities at dog parks is not necessarily for the canines, but their humans.

• For example, Fetch Park, which blazed the trail for upscale dog parks with its four metro Atlanta locations, has a bar and hosts events like trivia and bingo nights, live music and even mix-and-mingle opportunities for singles.
• Newman says Off Leash's restaurant component entices patrons to have a meal, glass of wine or a cup of coffee — while their pup noshes on dog-friendly treats.
• "We like to really take something and take it up a notch so that people want to stay with us," says Newman, who owns four dogs.

'Growing up'

The big picture: Fewer people in their 20s and 30s are getting married and having children.

• For millennials like Brown, an assistant professor of communication at Santa Clara University, the "extreme costs" of having children and buying their first home will most likely remain elusive.
• "So (getting) a dog is kind of one of the ways we can signal to ourselves that I'm growing up," she said.

The bottom line: "I feel like it's just the struggle of treating them like a family member, but also recognizing they're dogs, and they're going to be happy as long as you love them, give them a home and meet their needs," Garnett said.