The New York Times, 11/2007
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Sexy Beast, a scent for dogs.
If you want to spruce your dog up for the office, there are an ever-increasing number of grooming products to make your pet more palatable for the workplace, now including — dog perfume.

"If you have a dog sitting on your desk, it's always better if he has a nice scent," said Gail Marcus, 60, who brings her dog, an 8½-pound Pomeranian named Nicky, to her office in Long Island City, Queens. (Nicky may have a small body "but he has a lot of coat," she explained.)

Ms. Marcus sprays him with a scent called Sexy Beast, which she discovered at Henri Bendel's about a year ago for $65 for a 3.4-ounce bottle. (There is also a limited holiday bling version of Sexy Beast, with encrusted Swarovski crystals, which retails for $850.)

"There is a clean, fresh bounce about him," she said.

Sexy Beast, a small Manhattan-based dog grooming company started two years ago by Renee Ryan, avoids calling its scent a "perfume" or "cologne."

"It's unisex, so we consider it a 'fragrance,'" said Lindsey Clark, a Sexy Beast spokeswoman. "It applies to male and female dogs."

Nicky, the Pomeranian.
The scent is described as a "blend of bergamot and vanilla-infused musk combined with natural patchouli, mandarin and nutmeg oils."

"In New York, it's always sooty and smoky," Ms. Marcus said. "This scent really keeps him really fresh-smelling."

In New York City, where small dogs are more common, it is more acceptable to bring the dogs to the office, said Ms. Clark of Sexy Beast. Hence the company has seen a strong demand for the dog fragrance here — and in Los Angeles and Florida, too.

"You want your dog smelling good in an office — you don't want your office to smell like a pet store," Ms. Clark said. "Sexy Beast keeps them smelling good in the office so that people don't notice there is a dog walking around until they see it."

While there have long been a number of dog colognes/perfumes/fragrances on the market, enough so that there is a how-to-pick-a-doggie-cologne guide, most are in the sub-$20 range.

Sexy Beast is priced at a luxury price point.

Also, "Ours is the only 100 percent vegan on the market," Ms. Clark added.

The dog fragrance is a manifestation of the luxe dog life in the last decade. "It's the age of dog yoga, pet reiki, veterinary antidepressants, feline organ transplants, lumbar support pet beds, organic kibble, hand-stitched dog clothing boutiques and pet-toy manufacturing tycoons," explained Michael Schaffer, a journalist who is writing a book about the nation's obsession with dogs called "One Nation Under Dog," to be published by Henry Holt . . .