She will not get out of bed for less than £25,000, except for a walk.

Shirley, from North London, the face of a new fragrance from one of the finest noses in British perfume, is the latest supermodel to hit the billboard. She is also a dog: a three-year-old grande bassett to be exact.

From next Monday her image will be plastered on billboards nationwide as she models Petite Armande, by Lyn Harris. There will be a viral video marketing campaign and the promise of future work for the seller, Mungo & Maud, modelling products in Britain’s rapidly expanding luxury pet industry.

What was once the preserve of Hollywood actors and well-heeled ladies of leisure is now fuelling a market worth almost £4 billion a year. The pet industry has grown 30 per cent in the past seven years and is expected to rise to £4.26 billion by 2010.

Profiting from this frenzy of animal pampering has been Pets at Home, Britain’s largest pet chain store. Five months ago the chain introduced Boutique, a range of clothing with slogans such as “pet idol” and “doggy style”.

“From a standing start, Boutique is now a £3 million-a-year business,” said Matt Davis, chief executive of Pets at Home. “Every time we’ve pushed the boundaries, we’ve been amazed, right down to a crystal heart hairclip,” Mr Davis said. “We’ve sold thousands.” He said that he had been “bowled over” by the demand for organic pet food. Last year demand for premium-quality cat and dog food rose by 63 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. Supermarkets have responded by stocking ranges of wheat, dairy and preservative-free options, as well as ready meals for dogs.

Above the mass market, more exclusive pet pampering establishments are opening. In Central London, with a shop window of studied minimalism, Mungo & Maud sells £12 bags of organic dog biscuits, £190 leads, £175 cat blankets and £95 gold dog tags.

When it first opened, in 2005, “it was a massive risk”, Nicola Sacher, the founder, said. “No one was doing what we were doing.” Since then it has developed a wholesale business and a webshop. Shirley was paid £25,000 to model its new perfume, a £38 scent of sweet vanilla bourbon, with grace notes of French blackcurrant and Tunisian neroli. Competition is fierce: three days later Harrods will introduce its own dog perfume, Sexy Beast, at its annual dog fashion show, but Mungo & Maud is confident that it has found the right dog.

Shirley beat 29 hopefuls at a final audition in Hoxton, East London. She apparently brings the professionalism of Kate Moss to the dog modelling world. An industry insider described her as “one of the best-behaved bitches in the business”.

With the prospect of a long career, her owners may wish to insure her. Fortunately a £275 million pet insurance industry is on hand as well as “two-room chalet-style appartments” at Britain’s first pet resort, Mypetstop, which provides TV, hydrotherapy and an exercise arena for £140 a night.

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