Granted, dogs who spend the day at a doggy day care don’t stack blocks or learn their numbers and colors.

But in a way, you could say they are learning to play nice, sing (or howl) new songs and even eat a dignified lunch with friends.

That’s the scene at Tailwaggers, one of a few dog day care businesses in the Hall County area that specialize in giving dogs an outlet during the day, rather than keeping them in the house or the yard by themselves. Owner Mary Lawrence, who raises Jack Russell terriers, has had the business about a year and said she started it because of the increase in demand for pet-related services.

And from specialized bakeries to holistic food to acupuncture treatments, pet owners are finding new ways to enhance their pet’s quality of life — and, essentially, treat them like one of the kids.

“Pet owners are crazy, and I’m included,” said Lawrence, who watches about 20 to 25 dogs a day at her business off Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville. “They love these animals, and I say that in a nice way. These animals are their children, so they want to do what’s best for them.”

Sam Smiley, owner of Smiley’s Pets and Supplies, said people in North Georgia aren’t necessarily about buying a lot of trinkets and toys for their pets — although he does get the occasional customer looking for an expensive cat “condo.” But what he does see are a lot of pet owners who are trying to find ways to give their pets a better life.

And if that means buying all-natural food from a specialty store, so be it.

“The majority of what I do here is food and treats, and in a sense, when they come and buy the food I sell, they are kind of pampering — but it’s because of what I sell, the natural, holistic foods,” Smiley said. “I’ve had a few more people lately ask about acupuncture for dogs, and one who even tried it on a dog said it was like night and day; it worked for them.”

As you get away from a metropolitan area, Smiley said, the products pet customers buy tends to change. Rather than buy trinkets if you were in, say, downtown Atlanta, here customers tend to focus on things a pet needs — but maybe spend a little more to get better quality.

That goes along with a recent study by the research company Research and Markets, which says Americans’ spending on pets nearly doubled in the last decade and continues to rise.

But the report also noted the changing attitude of owners toward their pets and said a new demographic has emerged as a result. Pets in the United States, the report said, are no longer considered property but instead are thought of more like children. Owners serve more as guardians than “masters.”

Smiley agreed.

“Pets nowadays are so much more members of the family than they have been,” he said. “I talk to my dogs every day like they understand exactly what I’m saying.”

But treating the dog or cat like a member of the family isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In the veterinarian’s office, it sometimes means having a pet owner who is willing to try a therapy traditionally used on humans in order to relieve pain.

Dr. Kevin Brantley, a vet with Loving Touch Animal Center in Stone Mountain, said he began studying acupuncture for small animals after he saw results on his own dogs.

One of his dogs, which perform in flying disk competitions, had a neck injury. After seeing multiple doctors to try to relieve the dog’s pain, he and his wife saw an acupuncturist.

Soon after the treatments, the dog was up and playing again.

Brantley said the acupuncture knowledge helps him think outside the box when treating animals.

“It gives me a lot broader range of choices to try and treat disease,” he said. “A lot of times it allows, if nothing else, reduction in the amount of typical pharmaceuticals and Western medicine you would use.

“My introduction to acupuncture was for its use in orthopedic problems, but it has amazing applications and effects on multiple body systems, and I’ve been impressed with its effect for diarrhea and vomiting problems.”

Acupuncture has been used for decades to treat back problems in horses, but small-animal vets who practice it are still pretty hard to come by in North Georgia — although Dr. Mary Maschek at Lakeside Animal Hospital in Gainesville is studying to learn acupuncture.

And when the time comes for the furry member of the family to rest in peace, there are also special services making sure your pet departs with dignity.

Rick Farmer, owner of Pets at Peace, specializes in providing personalized crematory services for pets.

If a family’s pet has passed at home, he said, he will pick up the body and return the pet’s ashes in a velvet bag or an urn, if they choose.

“The people I deal with, their pets are like family. My services (are) for the people who think highly of theirs, such as I do,” said Farmer, who is the proud owner of a Great Pyrenees/golden retriever mix named Smoky. “If you have a pet, you should care a lot about it.”

Pets at Peace has locations in Cleveland and Hiawassee; the Cleveland location opened about a year ago.

The ashes of a deceased pet are delivered to the owner with a copy of the poem, “The Rainbow Bridge,” Farmer said, because it’s a token of something you would do for any loved one who’s died.

“I personally use a velvet bag unless they request an urn, and every time they hold that velvet bag up to their heart, they say, ‘Thank you,’” he said. “And to me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s taking care of the client’s needs.”

But one thing pet owners need to be aware of: Turning their relationship into one that’s codependent.

In extreme cases it becomes pet hoarding. In more everyday occurrences, it turns a pet — often a dog — into one that’s nervous and overprotective of its owner.

Lawrence said time spent at a doggy day care can help get rid of that, though, allowing the dog some time to just be a dog — and allowing the owner some time to see that it’s OK to leave the dog alone for a while.

“An overly attentive pet owner makes the dog the same way — the dog is too attached, and it’s stressed and has separation anxiety,” she said. “But we’re helping by giving their dog an outlet. They learn to get along with us, they learn to get along with other dogs. So it’s an educational process.”