Truth is...I was one of "those people." The people who sat around and thought it was so stupid when I saw a dog wearing clothes. It was so silly that I could never imagine doing that.
Then I got dogs and started responding to my dogs.
My boy dog hated getting wet when it rained. To be honest, I hate wet dog smell myself. So, my dog got a raincoat. No big deal.
My view really changed when I got my girl dog. When we rescued her, she was afraid of EVERYTHING! When we were outside, she was terrified to the point that she wouldn't walk on her own. She would just curl into a ball. Inside the house, she was better (not totally relaxed) but storms reduced her to a quivering mess. We couldn't do anything to help her overcome her anxiety.
Enter the Thundershirt. We bought the shirt to help her during storms...which it does. However, there were situations where the Thundershirt wasn't functional. The Thundershirt is thick and, with a dog who already overheats easily, it was not appropriate for walks around the neighborhood (or vet visits) during hot weather. So, I started looking for other options.
What I found was nothing. So, we started looking at other options. What we found was my dog Fergie's first tutu dress. I made it using a child's garment that was made of stretchy material so that Fergie could have the security of tightness without the thickness of a Thundershirt.
As luck would have it, the dress ended up with a tulle tutu, skirt which began Fergie's preference for tutus. (Yes, she actually shows her preference...She is much more relaxed in a tutu dress.) Maybe it's because her tail is like a big pom-tutu! :D
At this point, we were able to take her for walks!! You could physically see the boost in her confidence when she was wearing her dress. So, that began my mini-hobby of making Fergie dresses. :) Since I did notice that her confidence was always higher with a tutu on the dress, I always design with that in mind (as well as her comfort, of course). The dresses, in addition to medication, help my dog to live a less stressed life...which also makes my life less stressed. So, it's healthier for her and me. :)
At first, Fergie was the only one we were going to dress. But, my daughter's dog wanted to join in on the fun. He would beg to put on clothes when we would dress Fergie (by the way, she was only dressed when she was going to be in anxious situations where it was needed). Then when he didn't get something to wear, he would try to take her clothes away from her. So, we bought him a shirt which he happily jumps into (literally...It is quite amusing!). Then, he was happy and left her alone.
When the cold weather came, we were happy that he liked clothes because he needed clothes to keep him warm outside. His tiny body shivered something awful during walks and bathroom breaks.
I get so angry reading that people think it's NEVER appropriate or that it's cruel. What is cruel is letting an animal suffer without clothing. It would be cruel of me to be able to alleviate some discomfort and choose not to because of some judgmental comments made by others who don't matter.
So, yes, I do dress my dogs (sometimes....but not frequently).
I say as long as the pet and owner(s) enjoy it...To each his/her own!!
We have four dogs. Two of them have several clothing items because that's what works for them. The two others have a few items (mostly for functional purposes) because they don't mind clothing but they aren't excited about it either. We had one who passed recently at the age of 16 who NEVER wore clothes. Basically, I am responding to the needs of each dog individually...because that's what they are...individual dogs with individual likes and dislikes!
As for "humanizing" dogs...My dogs live in the house! That alone means that my dogs don't live a life of the wild. They live a life where they are loved! Loving and being loved is what counts in my life. (Besides, why would I try to make my dogs more like humans when dogs make better friends anyway?!)
But if you have to judge, go right ahead...And keep it to yourself! Because I don't live my life catering to the judgments of others...and neither do my dogs! :)
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| FERGIE IN HER FIRST TUTU DRESS |
Oh, yeah...And, yes, my dog's do wear costumes. Their costumes are custom-made by me. They wear them long enough for a photo shoot. Any photo shoots mean extra treats so they are completely thrilled to indulge me for a few minutes. In fact, instead of fighting to get costumes on, we have to fight to get them off of a couple of ours. ;)
