Yesterday I saw a picture of a beautiful German Shepherd. I don't know exactly where I saw it but the dog was totally stunning and was sitting in a field full of flowers. I really wanted to hit the like button until I read the comment that went with it. It said something along the lines of: "I'm so sick and tired of seeing all of these tiny dogs all dressed up. Here's a picture of a real dog." Seriously?? Sigh.
I get that having small dogs and them being "accessories" (cough... celebrities... cough) is a bad thing but just because I choose to put a coat on my dog doesn't make them not real dogs. It just keeps them from freezing when it's cold. Phoenix has very little body fat and her hair is very short she can't tolerate temperatures below 50 and even though Zoe is a little more hairy than Phoenix she still feels the cold, too.
Having coats for them enables us to actually get outside for more than a few minutes when it's cold and we can get our exercise out of the way, too. If they don't wear their coats I have a really tough time getting them moving. They scramble to get back inside. Phoenix will usually switch off holding her paws up and they both tend to look miserable. When the coats are on they actually want to go out and play (unless it's pouring rain). If it's raining they will go out but they are not that thrilled about it. Zoe complains way more than Phoenix, though. Zoe will whine and make all sorts of strange whimpering noises when she's cold.
I know that coats are not right for every dog and some dogs (double-coated, northern breeds, etc.) are okay but mine are not. So what if they look a little stylish while keeping warm! I just don't think it's that big of a deal and it's upsetting when people act like it's wrong.
I also think it's okay to dress your dog up for fun as long as they don't mind it. Over the Christmas holiday, Zoe got really good at balancing a Santa hat! So, it's okay to put a coat on your dog, really! I'd much rather see a dog all bundled up than with nothing and freezing. That goes for any size dog. If you're cold and need a jacket your short-haired dog is probably cold, too!
Does your dog wear a coat? What do you think about putting clothes on dogs?
I am not a fan of dressing dogs up just to dress them up--Barley and I will do it sometimes for fun for a photoshoot, but it's always for 10 minutes or less and she's getting a lot of treats--but I'm all for "dressing them up" when it's for their safety or comfort! Bar is a snow pup through and through, so she doesn't need a winter coat, but she does have a cooling vest for the summer because her black fur gets so hot that we can only be out in the sun for a few minutes, but with the vest we can get a full mile loop around our neighborhood in at once.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand! My family dog had a black coat, too and he used to get so hot in the summer! It's so important to keep their safety in mind whether it's a cooling vest or a warm jacket! That's awesome that Barley doesn't mind the cold!
DeleteWe generally don't dress our dogs, aside from the silly posts for the blog and a vest during hunting season. Our dogs tolerate cold pretty well but they live inside so that is why we vest them for waterfowl hunting. However, there are people out there with a macho attitude that their dog doesn't need a vest, blah, blah, blah. Well maybe it is not as cold where they are or maybe their dog lives outside so is conditioned, no idea. They are welcome to do what they want but we will not risk hypothermia just to be macho.
ReplyDeleteA cautionary tale. Read and never worry what others think again.
http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?20888-10-minutes-from-retrieving-to-quot-should-be-dead-quot
WOW...I just read that story. I agree with you on this one, vests all the way!
DeleteWow! That's such a scary story!
DeleteI struggled with this for a while. Last year I finally broke down and bought B a coat for our early morning temps that had B shivering during our hikes. It works out pretty well. I usually have her wear the coat during the first part of the hike until things warm up enough that she isn't shivering anymore and then I remove the coat and put it in my pack. I guess my mindset was coats are for people - not dogs. But I now realize coats are for those who are cold - including dogs! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's good! I know sometimes things can be weird at first! :D
DeleteFreya and Lasya were double-coated and did not need them but Ruby and Boca most DEFINITELY do! Ruby shivered the first time I took her out on a winter day and Boca has even less tolerance.
ReplyDeleteI bet Boca had a culture shock! LOL
DeleteDante and Ziva are exactly like Zoe and Phoenix, they get cold outside if they don't have their coats on. Super short hair, no undercoat, and lack of body fat does that.
ReplyDeleteLast weekend we took a run in the rain with my mom, I was on bicycle (she runs a lot farther than me), Ziva ran next to me on the bike, Dante ran with my mom. We went about 6 miles in the pouring rain, both dogs had coats but were soaked, I was soaked and cold, and then even with her jacket on Ziva began to shake uncontrollably. Dante for some reason doesn't seem to get as cold as her. So I said good bye to my mom and left with Ziva at a faster pace to get back to the car.
I felt pretty bad though she was clearly miserable, once we got back to the car I had both of us stripped of wet clothes, toweled off and got the engine running to warm her back up. Now we know we won't be doing that again even with a jacket!
And in the snow? Yup, sweater, jacket (double layer for Ziva), jacket for Dante, and doggy boots to protect their feet.
I've totally been there with water logged coated dogs, too!! We were at the beach pretty far out and it just started pouring! The girls were not happy at all but it turned out okay. We made it back to car, stripped their coats off and had the heater going full blast. It wasn't fun for any of us though! I do the same thing with the girls, double layer and booties! :D
DeleteI love to dress Bentley! He is cool with it so no problems. My problem is finding clothes for a Basset Hound. Not "Off-the-rack shaped! I love those coats, it doesn't get cold enough here.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem! The girls don't fit regular store brand stuff, either! :D
DeleteWillow has a coat, her thundershirt and an equafleece which we rotate. Harvey doesn't have a coat for outside, being a mad mental spaniel there is no stop button with him when he's on a walk - so he keeps himself warm, but, if it's been cold, he'll really feel it when we come back and so I put him in his onesie fleece. I can't see there being any problem with wearing coats.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of dressing dogs up - but I do use the odd prop in photographs, a flower, a pair of glasses, a scarf that kind of thing - I'm not keen on the outfits for dogs though. But that's just personal choice :)
Awe!! Sweet Willow!! We have thundershirts for the girls, too!
DeleteI almost bought Zoe a sailor dress one time but even though it was really cute and fit her, it wasn't practical so I put it back. LOL!
Try having dogs that are actually tiny and need jackets! I get so much flack over Nola's wardrobe. She's tiny, she has no body fat, she's low to the ground, has a single coat and her belly is bald. We're Floridians, and anything below 60 degrees makes her shake!
ReplyDeleteBoth girls get very cold, just like Nola! Phoenix doesn't have any hair on her belly either! I can't tell you how many times people have made fun of them for being dressed up, either in their coats or in their fleece shirts. The last time we went to the park in fleece shirts some dude was openly pointing and laughing. It irritated me so much!
DeleteAva wears a coat on most of our morning walks. Its cold out there. if I am wearing a heavy coat, hat, gloves, scarf, and hoping the wind doesn't blow to hard, Ava and Veruca should be wearing cats! It's supposed to be -15 tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree!
DeleteWhen mom tried to put clothes on me it turns me into a statue!
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Awe! Well at least you boys could grow longer fur if you need to! :D
DeleteNo one has given me any grief about it... yet. I guess Mr. N looks like he really needs clothing? People compliment his wardrobe far more than they compliment mine! I do get a "not a real dog" comment every now and then.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago when we were at Thousand Acres, the girls were wearing their fleece shirts and some guy was openly pointing and laughing at them. It was so annoying. Vince whispered, "that guy is making fun of your dogs!!" Sigh..
DeleteOur dogs sometimes wear coats when we're camping in the cold. And they wear boots when it's colder than -5 deg. I think it makes sense to protect your dogs from the cold! And different dogs have different thresholds.
ReplyDeleteI'll never forget when we first moved to the mountains, and a long time mountain woman referred to our Labs as "Froo froo dogs". The reason is that old-timers up here get guard dog breeds who literally live outside the front door protecting the house. Not a good life... so I took her "Froo froo" comment as a compliment! :)
LOL!! I can't believe someone thought a lab was a "froo froo" dog!! They are really aren't but I totally get what you are saying! I also agree with you about guard dogs not having that great of a life. I always feel really bad for outdoor only dogs!
DeleteI think to each their own - I don't care if people want to put clothes on their dogs. But I think some people take it too far. It isn't a child, it is a dog. Not a mini human, a dog. I believe that is why a lot of people make those kinds of comments... because they want to see a dog being a dog. But I also agree with you that it's kind of a rude statement to make. Just because a dog has a coat on doesn't make it any less of a dog.
ReplyDeleteSeppel has less hair than both of your dogs, I've taken him to protection training without his coat on when it has been in the 50's because I know he will be running.
I have put a coat a few times when it was in the 30s, and I put one on him last week at training because we were only doing tracking and OB and it was chilly/rainy. In a trial he wouldn't be able to wear a coat and would be expected to do his thing regardless of the weather, but I don't think I would purposefully plan for a fall or winter trial - specifically because he would definitely be bent about having to down on the cold ground. x)
I wear stuff for photos, but the only thing we wear in "real life" is boots if it is more than -10 F when we walk. My sisters and I have fur and are not cold. We don't beg to get back home and inside, we don't shiver or anything and actually, most of the time after our walk we want to stay out in the yard for a bit. Some shorter hair breeds do need coats, some smaller dogs, and maybe some seniors. Whatever the humans want to do is fine, but I know Mom doesn't want a dog that can't be our without a coat. Last winter Bailie did wear a coat when it was below zero because she was spayed and still had her thin puppy fur, but this year she is fine without.
ReplyDeletewhen nature doesn't provide them. My house is old and drafty, so warm clothes are a must even indoors. My Great Dane loves the sweatshirt I put on him in the winter. He has a nice custom made dog coat for going places, but his sweatshirt is perfect for laying around the house or playing in the yard.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Awais
Oh I SO agree!!! People can be so rude!!! I also think the people who use their dogs as only another accessory or something to dress up (like celebrities) is a little bit ridiculous, but that certainly doesn't mean that any dog who gets dressed up or wears a coat is not a real dog or is doing anything wrong at all! UGH! people!
ReplyDeleteღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
I've never been one to put clothes on my dog, but Max gets so cold he shivers so we had to get him something to keep warm ~Rascal and Rocco
ReplyDelete