Pet nation

Al Roker • Profile

America has gone to the dogs… and the cats, horses, reptiles, fish, birds, you name it. We own 360 million pets, and they are big business. This year alone we'll drop a whopping $36 billion on everything from gourmet puppy chow to designer doggy duds. In fact, while many pet lovers pamper their furry friends with a little extra Frisbee time in the park or a game of catch in the back yard, an increasing number now take their pet love to a whole different level.

Woody, 3, a perfect example, weighs five pounds and like most babies, is adored by his mommy. Okay, technically Woody is a dog, a Yorkie to be exact, but to New Yorkers Heather Nicosia and Jimmy Diresta, who don't want a family just yet, he's very much their baby.

Heather: “He feels like a little kid, you know? He feels like my baby.”

And a spoiled baby at that. "Dad" Jimmy, a designer, made Woody an elaborate miniature dog house and takes him cruising on their Vespa. "Mom" Heather, a boutique owner, gives Woody regular blowouts, makes Woody his very own line of "WoodyWear" clothing and dresses him in just about everything you can imagine, including feetsie pajamas and Batman, Spiderman and tiger costumes. It may seem extreme, but Jimmy and Heather are hardly alone in their pet spoiling ways.

Owen Swaby: “I'm kind of like his servant. It's kind of sad. It's not about me, it's all about him.”

Wendy Diamond: “Everyone loves their animals more than people.”

Well, not everyone. Pets certainly aren't welcome everywhere, something dog lover Mimi Scott was harshly reminded of when she decided to get three new dogs in addition to Kramer, who's kept her company in her New York City apartment for nine years.

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For Mimi's condominium board, one dog is okay, but four are unacceptable. She received a letter in March requesting she "dispose" of three of the dogs. 

Mimi Scott: “The picture in my mind was take a gun and shoot them. I mean how do you dispose? I love them; they are part of me. There's no way, no way I would abandon them.”

Mimi decided to stick with her dogs, and believe it or not, she's decided to move out of her luxury apartment.  Psychologist Dr. Herb Nieburg says though not everyone understands it, the bond people form with their pets is very real.

Al Roker: “What's this love affair that we have with pets all about?”

Dr. Herb Nieburg: “Pets serve so many purposes for us. Unconditional love, playmates, protection, security,  filling the empty nest. Plus they're furry, they're cute, they're warm. We respond to that.

Boy do we ever. Surveys of pet lovers reveal 83 percent call themselves their pet’s mommy or daddy, and 78 percent confess they coo to their pets much like a parent would to a baby. That includes Sharon Osbourne, of MTV's hit show "The Osbournes."

And Nicollette Sheridan, one of the sexy stars of "Desperate Housewives," showers her puppy Oliver with plenty of sweet nothings.

Roker: “Did I notice the little baby talk thing working?”

Nicollette Sheridan: “Oh, that does happen a little yeah. He's my little ushkey, kushkey, i just want to kiss his face and bite him hard.”

Though she doesn't like to admit it, Woody's "dad" Jimmy says "mom" Heather is guilty of baby talk as well. Woody's parents are definitely among the 63 percent of dog owners who admit to engaging in a little kissy kissy.

Puppylove goes so deep that 93 percent of dog owners say they'd risk their life for them. Woody's parents can attest to that firsthand. Six months ago, he was dog-napped.

Heather: “I was in the store. The door opened for two seconds. I saw him walk out the door and I walked right after him. And I looked down and he was gone.”

Jimmy: “Everybody on the block was screaming his name.”

Heather: “I was just like holding my head, I was like oh my God, I can't believe this.”

The couple plastered the neighborhood with flyers, thousands of them. Then, 48 hours later, they put up new flyers offering a cash reward.

Jimmy: “A $1,000 reward for Woody, no questions asked.”

Heather: “And within maybe an hour and a half, like by noon, I got a phone call. She just said ’ I know who has your dog. But I want the money. And then she hung up.”

After more strange calls, a plan was hatched/ Jimmy would meet the mystery caller on a Brooklyn street corner.

Jimmy: “I called two friends, two big friends of mine.  I was afraid I was walking into an ambush. I'm like this woman's going to not only keep my dog, but she's going to hold me up and someone's going to stick a gun in my ribs for the thousand bucks.”

It took considerable persuasion, but Jimmy also convinced a police car to trail behind.

Jimmy: “I come from a family of cops. I know what's important to a New York City cop. And a dog is low on the priority list.”

But there was no robbery, no guns, just the mystery caller, a nervous looking woman with two young girls in tow.

Jimmy: “She was scared, she thought she was going to be arrested, I said no, no problem.”

Jimmy did not want the woman arrested and had no interest in pressing charges.

Jimmy: “A lot of people were mad that I gave the money and I didn't ask. I said 'You know what, the thing was no questions asked.’"

Heather: “It said it on the flyer.”

Jimmy: “And I just wanted Woody back… I immediately started crying, and Woody was licking my tears the whole time.”

Shaken and grungy, but otherwise fine, Woody got a warm welcome home.

Jimmy: “For the next two days, it was like visiting a dignitary.”  

Heather: “Oh we got gifts. Cashmere sweaters. People were bringing gifts by.”

Jimmy still chokes back tears when he talks about the ordeal.  And as you'll see next, now Woody's parents are among the millions of pet lovers willing to do almost anything to pamper them.