Pets as a fashion statement

[dragon wench]

Woman's Best Friend or Accessory?

By RUTH LA FERLA
Published: December 7, 2006

OH, the places Paige has been. Like all the top New Yorkers, she dines downtown at Mercer Kitchen, eyes the heart of palm at the deli E.A.T. on Madison Avenue and appraises the calfskin boots at Gucci. “We even drink together,” said Dina Lewis, a real estate agent and Paige’s constant companion.

At Plug Uglies on Third Avenue, “Paige sits on the bar stool and everything,” Ms. Lewis said. “It’s like having a very good-looking, very drunk friend with you all the time.”

Except that Paige is a doll-sized Chihuahua. She travels with her mistress everywhere, scoping out the world from the confines of a Balenciaga look-alike bag.

Paige is what is known as a sleeve dog, an emblem of status since antiquity. Once toted by fashionable women inside the folds of their gowns, diminutive pets have been the favorites of nobles from Marie Antoinette to Elizabeth II. The pseudo-royals of Hollywood also favor them, actresses and gossip-column fixtures like Tori Spelling and Mickey Rourke.

Now, thanks in part to their red carpet visibility, compact breeds are more popular than ever. “We’re seeing a nationwide trend toward smaller dogs,” said Niki Marshall Friedman, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club. For example, registration of the Brussels griffon has gone up 231 percent in the last 10 years; Norwich terrier registration has risen 91 percent.

Flaunted as fashion statements, pint-sized canines are, to some minds, the fur-bearing equivalent of a pair of Louboutin pumps or other accessory. “I think of them as a handbag with a heartbeat,” said Robin Bowden, a vice president of Prudential Douglas Elliman, a real estate company in Manhattan. Ms. Bowden’s office on West 17th Street is a kind of home-away-from-home to a clutch of lavishly outfitted lap dogs belonging to various employees. “They have little beds and they scamper up and down,” she said. “I’ve seen brokers showing expensive SoHo lofts, turning up with these tiny puppy dogs in their designer bags.”

In some parts of town tiny pets as chicly turned out as their owners vie with BlackBerry pagers as on-the-go emblems of status. “People like the portability of a small dog,” Ms. Friedman said. They are also impressed by celebrities, she added, who like to show off their Charos, Freddies and Desirees on the red carpet.

Yorkshire terriers, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, French bulldogs and papillons, which can live in small apartments, are among the most coveted breeds, according to the kennel club, favored by young women and baby boomers alike. “As the kids go off to college, having Fluffy around is a comfort,” said Bob Vetere, the president of the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association. “The pet attains an elevated status,” Mr. Vetere said. “To make ourselves feel better, we tend to reward it in human, not in doggie, terms.”

In the view of many owners, no amount of pampering is too much. They blithely ignore health ordinances barring dogs from restaurants. Muffin, a 3-year-old Yorkie, is a weekend regular at the Cafe Orlin on St. Marks Place in Manhattan. “I like to take her to brunch,” said Alex Revana, her mistress.

Ms. Revana, a freelance fashion stylist, has provided Muffin with her own doggie garment rack with miniature hangers to hold knitted, fleece and quilted cover-ups. Muffin’s toys include a rubber Chewy Vuitton, and she dines on California Natural, organic pet food.

Paige, Ms. Lewis’s dog, owns 40 outfits, among them an Hermès coat. Part of Ms. Lewis’s closet is designated for the dog. Like her mistress, she likes to make a fashion statement. “With the two of us it’s an equal opportunity thing,” Ms. Lewis said. “I sit up at wee hours of the night online to find that one store in, like, Canada or Switzerland, so Paige can have that one sweater that no New Yorker will ever have.”

Mr. Fudge, a 4-year-old Chihuahua who belongs to Wendy Kaplan, a fit model and personal style consultant in New York, owns a yellow Old Navy raincoat, a denim fleece vest and, for blustery days, an orange simulated snakeskin coat with a pocket “in case he needs a biscuit,” Ms. Kaplan explained.

Mr. Fudge travels in a leopard-spotted bag. “There are places I have to sneak him into — the post office, Gristedes, the neighborhood bakery,” Ms. Kaplan said.

No fan of ordinances barring pets from restaurants and other indoor public spaces, she demanded: “Why should that be? We are after all a doggie culture.”

To a degree, that seems correct. Designer boutiques, hotels, airlines and even neighborhood bars are quick to extend doggie hospitality. “All kinds of services present themselves that allow people who have pets to travel with them,” Mr. Vetere of the pet products organization said. “You’re talking about the Tinkerbells of the world as opposed to the Godzillas.”

Rebecca Rand, a spokeswoman for the W hotel chain, which offers a canine-friendly Woof program, said guests traveling with small dogs have become a significant trend. “People are treating them more like family, so we try to accommodate them as much as possible,” she said. That includes pet pillows with special treats placed on them at turndown time.

Lap dogs and others are tolerated, if not always welcome, at many offices these days. Some 20 percent of businesses polled in a survey by the pet products association last spring permitted pets in the workplace, Mr. Vetere said. And 38 million working Americans over 18 believe having pets at work leads to a more productive environment.

Melanie Lazenby, a real estate agent in New York, said that bringing Eva, her five-pound Chihuahua, to the office has even brought her clients. Recently the owner of a $3.5 million Greenwich Village apartment, also a Chihuahua owner, gave Ms. Lazenby the listing once she glimpsed Eva. “It was all on the basis of doggie love,” she said.

All this canine-human togetherness can raise eyebrows. No one is more mindful of the potential absurdities of a lap dog than some owners. “To some people in the office I could be considered borderline tragic,” Ms. Lewis said with a laugh. “I figure life is short, so why not enjoy the frivolous, ridiculous side of it.”

Not everyone is amused. The sight of Ms. Lazenby, tall, impeccable and fair-haired, dressed identically with her dog, has the potential to engender sneers, she knows. “It’s the classic ‘Legally Blonde’ situation,” she said. “If your dog has on a really fancy jacket and you have on a fancy jacket, too, it makes some people smirk.”

It also gives some dog trainers pause. They point out that pets are not accessories, and treating them like prize possessions, no matter how well meaning, can deprive an animal of what it needs. “Socialization, training and exercise are paramount,” said Bash Dibra, a trainer based in New York. “Otherwise you have a problem.” An overly coddled dog can become territorial and aggressive, Mr. Dibra said. “Sometimes the dog goes into a rage. It’s not a happy situation.”

Patty LaRocco, who brings her Yorkie, Dylan, to business and social gatherings, acknowledges that doggie socializing has its limits. “A banker in a nice suit doesn’t want Dylan jumping up and down.”

On the other hand, pets can be a social icebreaker.

Ms. Lazenby, who moved to Manhattan just weeks before 9/11, recalled: “It was very hard to meet people. The whole city was in a depression, and it wasn’t really a social time.

“I bought the dog because I was so lonely, and she ended up bringing tons of people into my life.”

It does not surprise Ms. Kaplan, the fit model, that Mr. Fudge is a people magnet. Tricked out in a pink rhinestone collar, he accompanies her to parties, where “people who might not otherwise talk to you, talk to you,” she said. And why wouldn’t they? “My dog makes better eye contact than some of the people I know.”

Okay... I suppose I dislike small dogs to begin with because often they are yappy and excessively hyper, plus I generally prefer cats. But, on so many levels I found this really disturbing (check the link for some photos ). IMO the quote below gets to at least part of the problem here:

Quote:

It also gives some dog trainers pause. They point out that pets are not accessories, and treating them like prize possessions, no matter how well meaning, can deprive an animal of what it needs. “Socialization, training and exercise are paramount,” said Bash Dibra, a trainer based in New York. “Otherwise you have a problem.” An overly coddled dog can become territorial and aggressive, Mr. Dibra said. “Sometimes the dog goes into a rage. It’s not a happy situation.”

[Kipi]

Well, I usually don't care about fashion since to me it's very stupid to do or wear something you don't actually like because "everybody else thinks it's cool"...

And the same goes here, I think, since I really can't understand at all why dogs must have 40 different outfits. Do the dogs really care if their "clothes" are out of date, or even if they are wearing one? Probably not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench Now, thanks in part to their red carpet visibility, compact breeds are more popular than ever. “We’re seeing a nationwide trend toward smaller dogs,” said Niki Marshall Friedman, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club. For example, registration of the Brussels griffon has gone up 231 percent in the last 10 years; Norwich terrier registration has risen 91 percent.

If I'm ever going to have dog, I surely won't firstly think how many celebreties have it. So what if Britney Spears or Paris Hilton has the same race?

Quote:

Ms. Revana, a freelance fashion stylist, has provided Muffin with her own doggie garment rack with miniature hangers to hold knitted, fleece and quilted cover-ups. Muffin’s toys include a rubber Chewy Vuitton, and she dines on California Natural, organic pet food. Paige, Ms. Lewis’s dog, owns 40 outfits, among them an Hermès coat. Part of Ms. Lewis’s closet is designated for the dog. Like her mistress, she likes to make a fashion statement. “With the two of us it’s an equal opportunity thing,” Ms. Lewis said. “I sit up at wee hours of the night online to find that one store in, like, Canada or Switzerland, so Paige can have that one sweater that no New Yorker will ever have.”

Are they actually doing that to make their dog happy ro just to show others that "our dog is better than yours since it uses unique, pricy fashion clothes"?

Quote:

Mr. Fudge travels in a leopard-spotted bag. “There are places I have to sneak him into — the post office, Gristedes, the neighborhood bakery,” Ms. Kaplan said. No fan of ordinances barring pets from restaurants and other indoor public spaces, she demanded: “Why should that be? We are after all a doggie culture.”

And why shouldn't? There are after all reasons why dogs aren't allowed to restaurants. One of the most reasons is that there may and probably is at least one person who is allergic to dogs. What quarantees that the dogs behave well?

In case of the dog called "Mr. Fudge", if the dog can't survive even few moments alone, then why in heck should this guy bought the dog in the first place?! And if the dog is able to survive, then why this guy is trying got the dog everywhere with him, even though he knows that those places are restricted? Stupid, IMO...

Quote:

Not everyone is amused. The sight of Ms. Lazenby, tall, impeccable and fair-haired, dressed identically with her dog, has the potential to engender sneers, she knows. “It’s the classic ‘Legally Blonde’ situation,” she said. “If your dog has on a really fancy jacket and you have on a fancy jacket, too, it makes some people smirk.”

First sensible comment on this article. Based on this article it seems that only thing people are thinking is how much their dog follows fashion, never mind about it's health and well-being.

Quote:

Okay... I suppose I dislike small dogs to begin with because often they are yappy and excessively hyper, plus I generally prefer cats. But, on so many levels I found this really disturbing (check the link for some photos ).

Amen, sister!!

[Moonbiter]

The world is a seriously messed up place and it keeps getting worse, but the recent fad of carrying these repulsive little... is a new low.

On the bright side, they strangled the entire thing right from the start up here on The Reef. Yes, we have our Paris and Nicole and Britney clones here as well. They're usually dimwitted glamor models or spoiled rich girls, and naturally they wanted to emulate their idols in the US so they all suddenly had these evil little critters sticking their heads out of their purses. Big mistake! You can't take the frightful little thing anywhere, except for a walk in the park or in the woods. The law prohibits taking live animals of any kind into places where food and drink is being served, and they're also banned from 90% of other businesses open to the public, including clothing stores. There really isn't a point in owning one of these freaks of nature unless you can show it off, so suddenly all these rare, specially bred mini-dogs showed up on the market, with a pricetag around $40 000. Yeah, right! Like someone is going to pay 40 grand for a yapping skeleton in a Gucci dress. Finally they all made big shows of giving them away to charities or sick children. End of story.

[dragon wench]

I think the other side of this that really sickens me is the way these animals are viewed and being treated....not so much as living, breathing creatures.. but as objects. Objects that are purchased in lieu of a Gucci bag, or in some cases, along with the bag. All to the view of creating a fashionable image. Ugh!
It wouldn't surprise me if some of these nauseatingly superficial and egocentric tarts select their dogs based on whether or not the animal's coat will match a particular set of shoes.

[Magrus]

I find this be a mix of sad, amusing, and disgusting. I don't like how most people treat animals as "pets" to be honest. This is just a..."look at me! I have a furry thing that I can control who adores me! I'm special!" type thing.

Sadly, it isn't just this kind of thing where people treat their pets as possessions to do what they wish with them. My old roommates treated our cat like that, one of my main issues with them to be honest. The "If we feed it, and give it shelter, we can do what we want with it" line of thought really bothered me. That's the same logic that slave owners used. They didn't seem to think anything was wrong with it, as their logic is: animals aren't people, and are therefore inferior and it doesn't matter how they are treated, so long as you don't beat, mutilate or kill them, they'll be fine. A lot of people have this kind of logic for some strange reason. So long as you don't beat or kill the animal, everything else is good.

This thing with carrying them around everywhere as an object for prestige is disturbing though. Then again, by large, it is rich girls who do this kind of thing. The kind of women who end up as trophy wives who are only useful to their husbands as a conversation piece at parties, object to admire, or as a sexual toy. It isn't surprising that they, in turn, would want to have then a reversal with someone else.

Also...many girls nowadays are assidiously avoiding having children. Which, I don't have a problem with, as the world is overpopulated and I'm all in favor of drastically cutting down the human population. However, the reasons in general aren't so noble that I have found. The reasons tend to be that they don't want the hassle of having a child, don't want their breasts to sag from nursing, and don't want to gain weight or have stretch marks. Mostly superficial reasons from what I have heard. I'm not saying all, as a lot of people simply don't want kids for a number of reasons, male and female, myself included even though I adore children. However, I think the ones I listed above apply to this. Rather than have a child to dote on, you get a cute dog. If they dog is a bother, you give it away or put it down and get a new cuddly puppy. It's illegal to have your 2 year old put down because they are throwing fits and rubbing poo all over your walls. Yet, you can easily drop your dog off in the middle of nowhere and not get into any trouble for it.

[Galuf the Dwarf]

The smallest I can really go for an animal buddy is an adult cat, and when it comes to dogs, I prefer your average-sized one on a leash.

I don't care whether it's a pet or not, I almost treat mine like members of the family, mostly along the lines of younger siblings.

Now, the fact that I tend to make (semi-)feral animals react differently than others - notably deer, hawks, and toothed whales - says something about me.

Anyways, so yeah, pets as objects, IMHO, is a 1st-class no-no.

[Lady Dragonfly]

Quote:

We are after all a doggie culture.

"After all" it bothers me when any culture is identified as a doggie culture.

[thantor3]

What is equally sad is that the same sort of self-absorbed, infantile, wish-fulfillment fantasy is just as readily projected onto children - genetically-engineer canines simply being a more portable, disposable life form.

[Kipi]

Quote:

It wouldn't surprise me if some of these nauseatingly superficial and egocentric tarts select their dogs based on whether or not the animal's coat will match a particular set of shoes.

Actually, that has in some cases already happened
It was year or two ago when I read an article about woman who bought dalmatian dog just becuase "it's colour fits to carpet"...

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench I think the other side of this that really sickens me is the way these animals are viewed and being treated....not so much as living, breathing creatures.. but as objects. Objects that are purchased in lieu of a Gucci bag, or in some cases, along with the bag. All to the view of creating a fashionable image. Ugh!

I can almost see the ad:
"Order new Gucci bag now! If ordered during next 5 hours, you can also get small cute living dog to put inside your new Gucci bag and to be carried everwhere you want! Now different colours of dog to match your bag's colour!"

[Magrus]

At least it hasn't come to designer rider lawn mowers and miniature goats down south yet. When that comes, I'm migrating north out of the country.

[Chimaera182]

Words can't describe how much I despise this. First off, I'm a big dog fan. I grew up with large dogs, I like big dogs; my favorite breed is the Irish Setter. Small little yappy ankle-biting mongrels like these designer dogs just sicken me. And I hate people dressing their dogs and carrying them in bags and baby strollers; dogs have an intrinsic need to be outside, and incarcerating them in tiny little cages (that proportionally would be a small closet with a human locked inside) is robbing them of that need. And who exactly is going to clean up after these animals? I swear, we get people running around with little dogs that may very well be potty trained but every living creature has limits, and messes will be made. The owner sure as heck won't clean up after their pint-sized fashion statements (hell, some of them probably take their dogs to the mall simply so they can walk their dogs and not be stuck with clean-up duty).

Quote:

“I think of them as a handbag with a heartbeat,” said Robin Bowden, a vice president of Prudential Douglas Elliman, a real estate company in Manhattan.

I will kill her. I will hunt her down and kill her just for saying that. It's not okay to dehumanize other races, so now it's okay to de-animalize other creatures. Just call your dog a handbag, wear one around your neck, some chiuahaha earrings, and some miniature Scottish Terrier slippers and you're Cruella freakin' DeVille. Frankly, the fact that their little "handbags" are still alive doesn't exactly change that comparison in my mind.

Quote:

“To make ourselves feel better, we tend to reward it in human, not in doggie, terms.”

Now that just frightens me. We're rewarding dogs as though they were humans now? Well, I suppose that's not actually so bad. Buy little Fluffy some nice little faux fur boots to keep her furry feet even warmer, buy her that new Dior dog-carrying bag that you've had your eye on just so she can travel in style, or buy Fluffy a nice box of chocolates for being a such a good girl. Oops, she's dead. I'd love to see some statistics from before this fad got started on how many chocolate-related dog deaths had occured in the country, and how many have died since (although this would probably either depress or enrage me regardless). And frankly, the majority of people that're buying these miniature dogs have really no right owning another living thing anyway; in my experience, the people who walk down the street with their "designer dogs" are dumber than dirt.

Quote:

“With the two of us it’s an equal opportunity thing,” Ms. Lewis said. “I sit up at wee hours of the night online to find that one store in, like, Canada or Switzerland, so Paige can have that one sweater that no New Yorker will ever have.”

And she started out trying to look so nice, too. "it's an equal opportunity thing." First of all, the dog isn't picking up your waste, so that makes you subservient. Second, that dog is completely dependant on you for when to take its walks or when it gets food or when it gets attention; just because you shower the dog with clothes it doesn't even need or want does not mean "equal" anything.

And speaking of clothes for dogs... what the HELL is that about?! Dogs have FUR. FUR. What moronic idiot designed clothes for an animal that doesn't need it? Are we going to make warm overcoats for grizzly bears next? Dogs have that natural furriness to protect them from the cold; if you start bundling them up like a naked human, they are going to get uncomfortably hot and just plain ol' uncomfortable. Just as they will being trapped in those ugly dog carrier bags (or the baby strollers with the protective netting so the dogs can't get out, which in itself is very indicative of the situation).

Quote:

It also gives some dog trainers pause. They point out that pets are not accessories, and treating them like prize possessions, no matter how well meaning, can deprive an animal of what it needs. “Socialization, training and exercise are paramount,” said Bash Dibra, a trainer based in New York. “Otherwise you have a problem.” An overly coddled dog can become territorial and aggressive, Mr. Dibra said. “Sometimes the dog goes into a rage. It’s not a happy situation.”

As usual, the smartest people in the article are the ones who get one solitary paragraph dedicated to them, so the cutesy awesomeness of designer puppies all so cuddly wuddly will not be ruined and the sweety little darlings can be concentrated on, yes they will, yes they will. [gag] As DW pointed out, the above paragraph is rather disturbing. I knew just from basic--BASIC, I emphasize--knolwedge gleaned from various sources I didn't actively pursue--i.e., I paid attention to the world--that dogs with masters that are overly-affectionate to their pets are likely to become rather aggressive. And why not? If a human found someone who gave them lots of treats when they visited and made them feel incredibly happy, wouldn't that human also become rather protective of said person? And aside from that... the idea of demeaning a dog by turning them into a purely material possession and not as a living thing is just wrong on so many levels. They can be as well-intentioned as they like; I'm some sure Europeans felt it would be mighty nice of them to take Africans from their "savage" lifestyles, reeducate them, and relocate them to a strange and foreign land that they knew would be better for them. And again, although dogs are (hopefully) not being whipped or beaten or forced to do manual labor, the comparison still fits.

[dragon wench]

OKay Chim,
now tell us how you *really* feel

Seriously,
I agree with you 100%. This fad thoroughly sickens me on so many different levels.... This is the sort of thing groups like PETA *should* be focusing on... rather than the various inane publicity antics they are notorious for...

And have you ever noticed how the owners of these tiny dogs are often exceptionally yappy, irritating and obnoxious themselves....

[Magrus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench And have you ever noticed how the owners of these tiny dogs are often exceptionally yappy, irritating and obnoxious themselves....

Yes. Makes me want to find some sort of way to make a perfume that makes their "handbags" go insane with bloodlust and try to eat their "owners". If there is going to be irritating loud noises, it should be for a good cause.

[Chimaera182]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench OKay Chim, now tell us how you *really* feel Seriously, I agree with you 100%. This fad thoroughly sickens me on so many different levels.... This is the sort of thing groups like PETA *should* be focusing on... rather than the various inane publicity antics they are notorious for... And have you ever noticed how the owners of these tiny dogs are often exceptionally yappy, irritating and obnoxious themselves....

Yeah, I could feel my inner irkdom just rushing forth in that post. But you hvae no idea how very much this annoys me. To stress just how utterly this fad sickens me, I live in a city where these "designer dogs" are the norm. I have to live with those people every day. I see them with their dogs in the mall where I work, I've even seen some on the university campus. When I come down on this sort of thing, it's because I actually have to experience it just about every single day.

As for the last bit... You know how people have said for years that dogs begin to resemble their masters? It figures that the obnoxious little bitties who chat on their cell phones like some annoying Paris Hilton clone would be into obnxious little bitties for dogs.