The Adventures of 'Dog Clothes'

We have exciting news! Thursday is Winston’s first birthday! Although we are not actually sure how old he is, he has officially been with me for one whole year! It is crazy how fast time flies.

As an early birthday present I went out and bought Winston some new sweaters. When I told some friends about this their comments sounded something like this, “Oh no. You are one of THOSE people.” While I am not exactly sure what “one of THOSE people” entails, I have a general idea.

Whether or not dressing dogs in clothes is harmful or not has become a heated debate amongst animal activists and their owners. In an article posted in The Telegraph, United Kingdom’s most popular news outlet, animal activist went so far as to declare “people who dress up their dogs could be prosecuted.” The article goes on to proclaim that people who dress their dogs are committing animal abuse. 

While I understand what their thoughts may be behind those who dress their dogs up in clothing that may be uncomfortable to the dog, I do not agree that all forms of dog clothes are harmful. In fact, Winston loves to wear clothes.

We started putting sweaters on him because when we first rescued him he was severely malnourished. His malnourishment caused him to be exceptionally cold, especially during the winter. While we worked on getting his weight back up to a healthy number, the best solution was to put him in sweaters. Unlike some dogs, he actually enjoyed wearing the sweaters and would get very excited to put one on in the morning. We have even taught him how to pick out his own sweater by wagging his tail at the one he wishes to wear. Winston even has a pair of letters for my sorority! 

I definitely support the thought that dogs that are uncomfortable wearing clothes should not be forced to do so; however, if like Winston, your dog likes to wear sweaters and other clothes, dress away!