Rabid

Dogs now dominate the $48 billion a year pet business, with nearly 40 percent of American households owning a total of 77.5 million dogs. Dog products, dog services, dog admiration - okay, let's call it dog worship - has become totally over the top. If you have a dog-obsessed friend or relative, you've seen the phenomenon. Or maybe you're a dog owner and lover, and have found yourself buying, doing, craving, needing dog-related items (doggie treadmills, dog swimming pools, caffeine-free doggie java) and services (doggie massage, dog perfume, aromatherapy, hair coloring, and yes, doggie tattoos) that would have seemed outlandish a generation ago when applied to your everyday household Rover.But Rover isn't called Rover anymore, he's called Rufus. Or Lola, according to the Tumblog Hipster Puppies. In fact, all Top Ten Dog Names are people names. And the canine Rufus doesn't stay home alone all day; he goes to Doggie Daycare. Eats brightly-frosted martini-shaped doggie treats. Wears designer tutus. Gets married on the beach. Has...Well, you'll see. Rabid is a catalog of how over-the-top our dog obsession had become. It's a book aimed not only at dog skeptics but at dog lovers and the people who love them. Funny, fun, yet holding a mirror up to our dog-centered society, Rabid will help us laugh at our own behavior and at the even-more-insane antics of all those other dog people. And it will give some solace to the 60 percent of us who've so far evaded America's dog mania. Photos throughout.