Dog owners who dress up their pets could face prosecution

[Lace Neil Singer]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...osecution.html

I kind of see the point; if anyone goes to extremes and wraps a dog in so much clothing that it can't really do anything, then that's cruel. I don't really agree with dog clothing in any case, save for a dog coat for a short haired breed in the winter or if it rains. I just don't see the attraction. O_o

[Cats]

I think that's pushing it a little too far, but I agree...a pet is not a fashion accesory. I'm fine with a warm coat in cold weather or the little Halloween capes or XMas antlers (it's once a year), but that's the line. You wanna show off your dog? Get a customized collar/leash. That works.

[Sliceanddice]

if i lived some where coldrer i would insist on my short haired dog (pug) to wear a coat this time of year, she doent like the cold.
i agree with excessive dressing up bank but the random badana, a coat to keep them warm in really cold weather, and the like not bad.

[Yfandes]

Tigger, my greyhound who was always cold looved wearing sweatshirts and shirts with the waist tied up at his back. I think he thought it was the final proof that he was human And Gnatalie, my ugly little chihuahua comes a-running for the sweaters when its cold out. She even has a dress jacket I got for her in Hong Kong.

(srsly - I honestly never intended to become the sort of person who dressed their dogs up, I have NO idea how this happened maybe its just these dogs who are always cold). I don't try it with the terrier Max or the cats....

My plan for the next Halloween dog parade (yes we have one here ) is to put a grass skirt on Gnat with a fake hook on her back, connected to a fishing rod that I carry dressed as a fisherman Aw cmon! Its like cute little babies! Whats the point if you cant dress them up?

But anything that hinders movement or harms the animal? I cant see it here, and I don't imagine it lasting long in this neighborhood.

[Buglady]

Around here, it's borderline cruel NOT to put boots and a coat on your dog. It's minus eleventy zillion out there and everyone salts their walks to deal with the ice. A dog's paws can get badly cut up by ice and salt, and the ones with "feathery" paws get snow balling up in the fur between their toes and turning to ice (which can be sharp, and cut them, or cause a blister on their pads). Keeping the dog confined indoors doesn't seem like a very good alternative!

The boots we see most often here are more like sturdy socks, not rigid human-style shoes. They usually have a leather sole on the bottom, some kind of a warm lining, and a sock top to keep deep snow from getting inside. The coats are usually like little capes that keep snow off the dog's back and keep their chest and tummy warm; they fasten underneath with velcro. They often have reflective tape on them, so that they are visible to cars. (Remember, it's frigging dark here at 5:00 pm!) The dog's legs are unencumbered.

I bought a coat for my Mom's labradoodle at Christmas. This is a dog with very light fur, and she's also quite thin, with no insulating fat layer (she is 3/4 standard poodle, very gangly and long-legged). My parents live in a part of BC that can get pretty darn cold, but Jetta LOVES to play in the snow. As soon as we put the coat on her, she pranced in a circle, wagging her *entire* body, and then dove into a snowbank. She learned right away that the coat was hers, that it made Outside more comfortable, and that she gets extra attention when she wears it. By the second day, we could tell her to "get your coat!" and she'd run right to it and bring it back.

Now, I don't like the coats that are styled like a human coat - the dog doesn't need a hood, he wants to be able to see and hear what's going on! For the most part, though, I think dog clothes are silly and harmless. Making a blanket law will cause more trouble than it's worth, in my opinion.

I reserve the right to point and laugh at people with "purse dogs."