Doggy Dress Up
I came across this article and I thought it would be fun to see what Dogsters thought on the subject.
In Dallas, TX it seems that dog owners love to dress up their dogs. I’m talking everyday apparel, not just Halloween.
Parent: Denise Devora, Dallas
Pup: Chiquitita the Chihuahua
Ms. Devora, 32, an administrator at Mountain View College, got Chiquitita last April in San Antonio. Doggy couture wasn’t a natural fit for Ms. Devora, although she’s become a convert. “I never thought I would dress up a dog. I never saw that coming. We always had outside dogs; she’s only the second inside dog I’ve ever had.
“But you see these cute little outfits, you think how cute she’d look in that, and one thing leads to another …
“She just eats up the attention she gets when she’s got them on,” Ms. Devora says. “I take her to the mall sometimes in a carrier, and she’ll be really good till someone notices her. Then she’s sticking her head out, and then it starts. Then there’s no stopping her.”
The movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua was number one at the box office last weekend. In the movie dog star Chloe has her own wardrobe. The producers obviously realized that dressing your dog isn’t just a trend, it’s here to stay.
Go into any doggy boutique or national chain, like PetSmart, and you’ll see sections devoted to dog clothes. I admit Lisa and I dress the pups up for Halloween, but the neighborhood kids look forward to seeing them every year. Okay, we do it for ourselves too. Other than that they go au naturel for the rest of the year.
Last year Bo even wrote a blog entry letting us know his feelings about being dressed up. You can read Halloween Humiliation and find out what he thought. I know Bo’s feelings about the subject but I wonder if other dogs like to be dressed up?
The other day I was in the store picking up dog food when a lady with a small dog started trying to put a Halloween hat on him. He was squirming around looking like he was about to jump out of the cart when the woman turns to me and says, “He doesn’t like be fully dressed, but he enjoys this.”
That wouldn’t have been my assessment, but what do I know. So….who out there likes to dress their dog year round? Who thinks you shouldn’t dress your dog? Fess up, give me a bark.
I rarely dress up Daisy. Especially in this hot South Florida weather. Only on a very special occasion like Christmas, or a family get together, or Halloween do I put an outfit on her. Daisy has a wardrobe as well, with clothes from when she was a puppy and present. I usually never have her wear some, and then there are the favorites that I have her wear whenever I do dress her up. But, I just can’t seem to let go of any of her clothes, that just collect dust. They are memories, from her puppy years, etc… I love to occasionally look at them, and think of all the times she has worn a certain outfit. One dress she has, was about a couple days after I got Daisy. It was given to me by family friends. A little black dress, with tan polka dots, and a pretty bow. It is tight on Daisy now, so she never wears it. But this dress was given to us, by friends whom a couple years ago passed away in a plane crash. Their family of four all passed together. So, this outfit is just a little piece of them I have left. Never will I let it go.
Daisy doesn’t mind getting dressed. She slips her paws through the sleeves when I hold them out, and just walks around like nothing is on her.
However, occasionally.. I do dress her up on hot days. I dress her in a very thin material shirt, that’s a light color. Since she has black fur, it is attracted to the sun more, which causes her to get hotter. When covering it up with a different color, it usually take a slower time for her to heat up. I do keep her cool, occasionally spraying her with water and making sure she drinks water. Never had a problem with that.
My big girl, Cooki - is NOT fond of clothing, and my little guy Cupcake isn’t crazy about it - but he was told by his doctor that he HAD to wear t-shirts because of a skin problem. He’s let me put them on him, but would grab at them when I took them off and as soon as he got it on, he’d roll around on his back. Poor little dude - he’s a pug terrier mix and my Cooki is a Chow Chow Shepard mix…they both look gorgeous with or without clothes, though!!
I have always had big dogs, so dressing them up was never in the picture….then I got a Pug, then another Pug, female this time.
I have to admit both Pugs have a trunk full of clothes. I have even gotten carried away and now my two big bully dogs have vest, coats, dresses. I dress them all up for Halloween.
I am guilty..I think my Pugs like the attention they get. My two big dogs…maybe not so much..lol but boy do bullies look cute all dressed up!
I dress up my pom ALL the time now. I really didn’y start that way but one thing leads to another and now my girls (the biggest at 45lbs the smallest at 5lbs) all have clothes and accessories, enough to fill their own little drawers. It has gotten so bad that I now work at a doggie clothes boutique… I can’t help it, they all look so cute! None of them mind the clothes (although I can’t say that they all like it) but I do know they love their raincoats and fleece jackets when the weather is bad!
Mochie, my yorkie, likes to dress up when in the winter time.. without clothing, sometimes cold weather will make him shiver. So I guess, putting some cloth on doggies not only is cute but also has a practical side.
I have a huge plastic bin full of clothes for my three dogs. It’s so full, it barely closes. Most of the clothes (and accessories) are for my two chi’s; Bambi and Peanut. They are the two that I just love to dress up and pose for pictures. I don’t usually dress them up on a daily basis, especially during the hot summers. But, during the cooler months, I do have either a t-shirt or sweater on the chi’s. Chihuahuas don’t usually like being cold and are known to shiver, so having them wear a little something extra during those months is beneficial to them. Bambi doesn’t mind clothes for the most part, she’s been wearing them since we first got her at only 6 weeks old. Peanut isn’t fond of them, but will wear them for me since he is such a good boy. Sugar, our Lhasa-Yorkie will wear clothes, but doesn’t really care for them much. It is fun to see them in the cute outfits, especially for picture taking! I think it’s great that you can find inexpensive dog clothes both online, and in stores. =)
I have been dressing up my Beagle sweetpea since she was a pup. I take her to Nursing homes and they love to see her in her cute dresses. Fortunately she allows me to have the little girl I never had.
Well speaking for me (Tucker here) I have a sweater and 1 shirt. Athens has a sweater also but she won’t wear it. Daddy has tried to dress up Kenzie and Braedey but they won’t have any of it. No one else seems to like it. They all prefer to be natural. Plus if mom and dad to manage to get clothes on them then all the sudden it becomes “who can undress who the fastest” game. I’m sure you know what I”m barking about. So mom and dad have given up. They said they are sticking to digital costumes to post on dogster
Personally, I only think you should dress up your dog if it is cold or raining. And that is it. Some clothing restricts the dog’s movements and makes it uncomfortable, even if you think otherwise.
your outfit looks great, Chiquita, thanks for the birthday wish. See ya in the dogster web. I am verbally giving you a bone!!
Thanks,
Snoopy and owner Jan Willison
All my dogs, until I got Joey, my Chi, had/have long hair so I’ve never put clothing on them.
)
But Joey gets cold in the winter (yes, in AZ - she’s keeping her paws crossed we never move back up north
so I have put sweaters on her when we go for walks. And I did buy a couple of hats just to take pictures to post here on Dogster. (She didn’t like wearing the hats at all!)
Joey seems to understand that the sweaters are HERS and she does seem to like the special attention she gets while I am putting them on her.
I have to admit, when I go to the petstore and see the little outfits I think to myself “how cute!!!” but, with the dogs I have I never buy any. Just a new sweater, each winter, for Joey.
My Pom Kiki has like triple thick coat hair so it get matted after a couple months then she has to be shaved into a Lion cut. That’s when whe wears her purrty dresses so she won’t look or feel so naked, especially in the winter.
My other Pom, Kobe, has straight hair that does not get matted so he hardly ever wears clothes. Only for pictures or special occasions. We are having a hard time looking for a Halloween costume for him because he refuses to have anything on his head.
I’ve always had big dogs. My boxer wears a human t-shirt during winter, especially at night, because he freezes his little tail stump off if he doesn’t. When I got Jager, the miniature pinscher, I innocently thought it’d be cute to dress him up…JUST ONE TIME. One time turned into multiple times. He now has quite a selection of clothes and collars to pick from. He never minded it. The first time I dressed him up, he seemed a bit confused, but now, he just doesn’t care and he’ll run all around, play, eat and just be a dog with an article of clothing on. I admit, during summer, he RARELY wears anything, usually just a thin collar with ID/license on it. It’s far too hot during that time (120F and up), so even a thin shirt may cause a heat stroke, even INside the house. It’s been chilly lately, for Jager, though, and he shivers just getting up in the morning, so he’s been getting good use out of his clothes. He doesn’t own pants, though, and never will, unless we ever have a real reason. I feel a little bad for the dogs that look like they aren’t enjoying being dressed up. I have never forced my dogs to do anything for my pleasure (ok, so maybe i’ve forced a couple of them into a nail clipping, but it was either get ripped apart by talons, or have a few moments of tension between us for both our comfort). I don’t believe anyone should. Dogs are dogs, not little people. They never will be, and they weren’t made to be. But, if your dog enjoys what you do to it, go for it! Just make sure they’re comfortable.
I have to dress up my dog in the winter. He is a whippet and they just don’t have enough fat to keep themselves warm. He has several winter jackets. He also has several tshirts for the summer so he doesn’t get sunburned. He doesn’t seem to mind the clothing at all. Although I think he enjoys making me mad and getting them filthy!
i think it is absolutely precious when people dress up their dogs.. unless, of course, the dog is obviously NOT liking it. I would not recommend dressing the dogs up in the dark park because other dogs may not be able to read their body language! I have three chis, two of which do not mind being dressed up AT ALL. but my third girl HATES it. she freezes and will not move until its off. its rather funny, needless to say, i do not dress her up often.
I guess I don’t mind the thought of dressing your dog up.
Seems cute, but sometimes it might be aggrivating to the dog. I guess it just depends on how your dog reacts. I’ve always had bigger dogs and don’t intend on dressing them up, that would probably be uncomfortable for them.
[...] dressing your dog up may be fun for you, it isn’t always fun for your furry pal. According to Dogster’s [...]
I think Naruto likes when i dress him up in fact every time he sees me with one of his outfits or body harnesses he just stands still and wags his tail, he even lets me take his measurements when i want to knit him a new winter coat.
Hi everyone,
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Clothes are a staple to my dogs everyday living! Without it, he would surely freeze in this below freezing temperature!
Here he is in his winter garb!
http://edopeno.com/2008/11/17/thought-of-the-dayby-ipo-clothes/