Benjii loves the outdoors. He goes camping, hiking, kayaking and swimming with his family, but his best friend, Zoe, can’t come along. So the days that Benjii travels from his home in Brownville Junction to play with his friend at day care in Brewer are very important to him.

“In the morning, when I tell him he’s going to see Zoe, he gets very excited,” Benjii’s owner Paula Corsaro said recently when she picked up her 18-month-old male Pomeranian from doggie day care at Bear Brook Kennel in Brewer. “After being with her all day, he’s pretty calm on the ride home.”

Zoe, a 9-month-old pug, does not calm down after play dates with her canine buddy, her owner Sharon Byras of Holden said as the dog squirmed under her arm.

“When they miss a week here, they just aren’t themselves,” Corsaro said as Byras nodded her head in agreement.

Day care usually tires the dogs out, according to Terry Bedard, day care director at the Brewer kennel.

“One lady took her dog to the vet because it slept for two days after its first time at day care,” she said.

Getting exercise, socializing with other dogs and not being alone are the main reasons people send their dogs to day care, according to Bedard.

Industry experts have attributed the recent growth in businesses such as doggie day care, pet resorts and spas, bakeries that make pet treats, and clothing for household pets to the “humanization of pets.”

“Pets have become more of an important part of people’s lives, whether you call them an extended family or whatever,” Bob Vetere, managing director of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, said earlier this year.

The pet industry generated revenue of just over $36 billion in 2005 and is expected to reach more than $38 billion this year, according to the APPMA. The industry’s revenue in 1994 was $17 billion.

Statistics on day care for dogs are not readily available, but Americans spent $2.5 billion last year for grooming and boarding, which includes day care.

At least half a dozen pet-centered businesses in Greater Bangor offer doggie day care with indoor and fenced outdoor play areas. Some also offer services such as grooming, classes and kennels, while others offer only day care. All require dogs be at least 10 weeks old, have all their shots, including one for kennel cough, and an evaluation by day care staff with the owner present.

Bear Brook is a full-service kennel that offers grooming and classes in obedience and agility. It has offered doggie day care for more than a dozen years. The day care program averages between 25 and 30 pets a day, according to Bedard. Wednesdays are reserved for puppies and small dogs.

“I’m a referee and a dog maid,” she said of the job she has held for about 10 years. She also has worked as a canine trainer and taught classes. “It’s definitely not a glamour job.”

Dog owners drop off and pick up their pets at the Brewer kennel, but Hallie Tyler offers bus service to her day care customers. Tyler, who also worked at area gyms as a personal trainer for two-legged mammals, picks dogs up at their homes or their owners’ offices and takes them to her Canine Camp on Route 69 in Carmel. At the end of the day, she piles the pups back into her 15-passenger van and returns them to their owners.

“I cared for people’s dogs growing up in Carmel and worked at kennels,” she said. “I’ve wanted to have a doggie day care or upscale doggie resort since I was 15 or 16. When I found this house, I knew it would be possible. It just took a while to get to this point.”

Nearly four years ago, Tyler started picking up dogs in her two-door Chevy Tracker. As the business grew by word of mouth, she moved from a full-sized sport utility vehicle to a minivan to the 15-passenger van she now drives.

“The first dog usually goes in the back,” Tyler said, describing her “bus driver” techniques. “I put a harness on each dog, which is attached to a seat belt with a two-foot tether. That way they can’t bolt every time I open the door. I tried shoulder harnesses, but they chewed through those in quick order.”

Renaissance Dogs on Route 1A in Holden is expected to open soon, owner Rebecca Henderson said earlier this week. Henderson, a native of Rhode Island, worked for the Bangor Humane Society while searching for a location to open an upscale doggie hotel and day care.

“We have a viewing window from the lobby in the playroom,” Henderson said, “so owners can watch their dogs play. That’s a nice feature that’s different from the kennels in the area.”

The indoor playroom at Henderson’s business will have a rubber-matted floor and large-screen televisions that will be tuned to the Animal Planet channel. She said she also would show home videos of her four-legged clients. Next year, she plans to open trails in the 6 acres of woods behind the day care so the dogs can give their owners a chance to commune with nature.

The cost of doggie day care in the Greater Bangor area runs between $15 and $17 if owners drop off and pick up their pets. Taylor’s customers pay $20 a day for the convenience of having their pets picked up and dropped at their doors.

Although they’ve been domesticated as human companions, dogs are pack animals by nature, Tyler said. Day care allows them to return to the roots once in a while.

“The social aspect [of day care] is wonderful,” she said. “If a dog is well-socialized, the owner can take it anywhere and have it be relaxed. Interaction with other dogs makes a much more well-rounded furry friend.”

Judy Harrison can be reached at 990-8207 and jharrison@bangordailynews.net.

Questions to ask about dog day care

Rebecca Henderson of Renaissance Dogs on Route 1A in Holden says pet owners need to ask themselves “if this is a place they’d want to be all day long. Chances are if you don’t want to be there, your dog doesn’t want to be there either.”

. How much time will dogs have to play?

. Are there indoor and outdoor exercise or play areas?

. How long each day will dogs be crated?

. Can I pop in at any time to check on my dog?

. Who can I call for a reference?