I've written about this in the past, and yet I still don't have a conclusion to my internal debate of whether or not dog clothes are worth purchasing. I admit, we treat our dog like a person some times. Most of the clothes we buy are good quality and design, but I often wonder if I'm buying it just for our sake, or does a sweater really help the dog in the winter. Other clothes, like his polo shirt, help dress him up and give him a personality. But, it only gives him a personality in the human sake. Does another dog come up to my pup and think, "what a great dresser. I love the outfit!?" Somehow I highly doubt it!
But if dressing the dog in clothes doesn't do any harm, and in the people sense it bring joy to our lives, then I guess, why the heck not put on a shirt? Besides of course the costs of such items.
So, here we have the shirt. Then comes the whole problem of size. I have enough problems buying clothes that fit me properly, and now here I am trying to decide if my dog needs a medium or a large. Another problem with the clothing is how it is cut. We bought a sweater made for a dog, but it covered his privates...which of course I realized the hard way, when my dog lifted his leg and essentially peed his pants.
Another issue is where, or even if, there is a hole cut out so that we can put the sweater/shirt on him over his harness, and still be able to clip his leash on through the cut out in the shirt. Some don't have the cut out, some are just in places that don't work out too well.
A lot of whether it is practical for a dog to wear clothing depends on the type of dog, and if the pet is patient enough to let you put the clothing on him in the first place.I'm also amazed at how the market for pet clothes continues to grow. A big retail clothing chain meant for humans has a little section for dog clothes. There are pet boutiques and specialty stores. I was in Atlantic City and saw specialty pet shops in the casino. It's a huge market which keeps growing. And, I'm guilty of participating in the market!
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, , Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, and The Bullwinkle Blog, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
