Fashion models -- both human and canine -- will be hitting the runways tomorrow at Pet Fashion Week in New York, the first-ever trade event designed to showcase the latest in pet fashions and other products. Click photo for larger image. Related article PNC Park and Sandcastle plan events open to dogs

The canines will be hitting the catwalks this weekend, and the felines will be putting on the dog.

Pet Fashion Week is coming to New York tomorrow and Sunday, complete with animal-loving celebrities, a black tie fund-raiser, a silent auction and chic models strutting the runway with pets decked out in designer duds.

Mario DiFante, a Rhode-Island based dog groomer, is organizing the event, which will be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood tomorrow and Sunday. This morning, Mr. DiFante was scheduled to appear on CBS's "Early Show" to announce the winners of a national student design contest for pet fashion.

"It's something I've thought about for many years," said Mr. DiFante in a telephone interview earlier this week. "There's a very large market for these kinds of services and we decided it was time for a trade show that, along with a designer platform, would address the lifestyle of today's modern pet."

Today's modern pet is one pampered animal. The $38 billion pet-care industry expects Americans to spend $2.7 billion on services for their dogs, cats and other household animals this year, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

Indeed, pet owners now comprise 63 percent of the U.S. population and, according to the American Animal Medical Association, 83 percent of those owners go by "mom" or "dad" when defining their relationship with their dog.

Such pet love has launched a whole new industry devoted to lavishing luxury on your Bichon-Frise, from pet spas, doggy hotels and "pawdicures" to 400-count sheets for Fido's bed.

Pet Fashion Week is aiming at the high-end segment of the market, Mr. DiFante said, adding that more than 2,000 attendees are expected at the trade show, which is not open to the public until Sunday evening, when a runway fashion show is scheduled.

But tomorrow and Sunday, those in the pet industry will be able to browse wares from more than 140-plus exhibitors -- from Venetian blown glass dog bowls to Danish teak doggy beds to Bark Avenue Jewelers' diamond and 14-carat gold dog collars.

There are even alcohol-free wines bottled by a place called Bark Vineyards -- in "Barkundy" and "Pinto Leasheo."

Then, of course, there's the fashion: quilted, metallic Italian lambskin coats by Chien Couture, offerings by designers Donald J. Kliner and Randolph Duke, and a runway show featuring haute couture, avant-garde and "street-ready" fashion for dogs and their humans. The runway show will be staged tomorrow night during the fund-raiser for animal welfare groups, and aired Sunday night on the cable television channel Animal Planet, he said.

Is Pet Fashion Week just the latest manifestation of a trend toward pets as fashion accessories? After all, didn't Paris Hilton get rid of her tiny "teacup" Chihuahua Tinkerbell -- which she liked to carry around in her purse -- when it got too big?

Absolutely not, said Mr. DiFante, himself the owner of a champion Portuguese water dog.

"We would never look at dogs or cats as an accessory," said Mr. DiFante. "We feel they're more the new baby of this millennium. Having a pet is a 15-year commitment. There are studies out there that show more and more people regard their pets as their children, and they treat them that way. There are folks who turn down $5 million condos because they don't allow pets."

Plus, he added, Paris Hilton actually really does love dogs.

"I met her at an event for animal charities, and I think she's really been misunderstood by the press. She has real affection for animals."

Mr. DiFante wouldn't say if Ms. Hilton or other celebrities were on the guest list, but he stressed that the entire event is for a good cause.

"We all cherish our animal companions for their unconditional love and acceptance," he said. "They're more than pets; they are valued members of our families. But not all animals are fortunate enough to have a loving home, so this event is celebrating our love for our own pets by directly benefiting animal welfare groups. "

For more information about Pet Fashion Week, or to purchase fashion show or gala tickets, visit www.petfashionweek.com.