Owners Face Fines for Dogs in Drag

by Karenke4 | January 15, 2009 at 03:12 pm

1485 views | 9 Recommendations | 25 comments

Pet owners in the UK may soon face prosecution for dressing up their pooch.

The RSPCA is pressuring for legal action be taken for endangering animals that are overdressed. This means we must say adieu to those adorable puppy boots, hoodies, pant suits, Halloween costumes and pink tutus.

Pet fashions have come a long way in recent years, with notorious celebrities such as Paris Hilton seen publicly carrying her dog Tinkerbell in costumes of every breed. High end designers are now creating canine couture, and department stores are carrying their lines.

Is it an animal or an accessory? A pet or a child?

Dorset RSPCA spokeswoman Jo Barr said: 'Dog owners should be aware that under the Animal Welfare Act that came into force in April 2007 they have a duty of care to ensure that all of their pets' needs are met.

'One of those needs is to express normal behaviour and it could mean that with restrictive clothing they are not able to do that properly.

'We're concerned that any pet should be viewed as a fashion accessory. Taking on an animal is a long-term commitment. It's quite humiliating and sends out the wrong message about pet care.

So what about my dog Moose? He shivers when the temperature dips below 50 degrees, and loves his stylish red and black pooch parka.

Jess Bland, professional dog walker and pet sitter from My Pet Friend, said: 'Dog clothing certainly serves its purpose when it's cold and wet, but it has to fit properly.

She says nothing about silly Santa hat that Moose also loves to wear each Christmas season. I guess I will have to assume that is OK as well.

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inaba

at 17:20 on January 15th, 2009

She is one year old chihuahua. She dressed up like a reindeer in last xmas.

inaba has contributed a photo to this story.

astanse

at 18:00 on January 15th, 2009

This reindeer outfit was given to us by a friend and our dog literally wore it long enough for me to take the photo and it was then thrown in the trash. He hated it! I don't dress my dog in anything but a collar so I don't want any negative remarks on this photo because this is nowhere near typical.

I said I would share this photo before I really read the article that went along with it otherwise I wouldn't have posted it. I know our pup has it way better than a lot of people in this world and there are some people that need to find a real issue to be passionate about. I don't think that whether someone dresses up their dog should be that issue. Geez!

astanse has contributed a photo to this story.

nandi108

at 18:13 on January 15th, 2009

Heh. That's my dog (a soft-coated wheaton terrier) dressed as snow white.

Calsidyrose

at 19:11 on January 15th, 2009

Our dog, Taco, didn't like the Peter Pan outfit, so he tugged it off!

Calsidyrose has contributed a photo to this story.

maintrainonline

at 19:17 on January 15th, 2009

My dog, Tatum, loves sweaters. She tells me when she wants to wear one and when she wants it off. She is a German Shorthaired Pointer and has very cold natured ways. We do not dress in costumes, nor do we live in UK. Tatum has an entire collection of sweaters and t-shirts, as well as two coats, and a hoodie or two. I do what the dog wants. I'm not dressing her for my ego. And for those of you who want to see her picture, the caption says "Just Precious".

identifide

at 19:26 on January 15th, 2009

Padme gets angry when she's cold. Let her keep her hoodie!

identifide has contributed a photo to this story.

michelleprovince

at 00:31 on January 16th, 2009

This is Maggie. Maggie, Gus and Jake all received "housecoats" from Grandma for the holidays.

michelleprovince has contributed a photo to this story.

chicketychun

at 03:36 on January 16th, 2009

While she isn't wearing a crazy outfit, she is dressed in something so I guess that's why I was asked to share my photo.

I personally don't see anything wrong with dressing up a pet. If they don't like it, they'll let you know. It's only then, if you dont take it off, that it becomes an issue.

I made Molly's sweater so she HAS to wear it. Seriously though, she would probably freeze to death without it. She shivers so much when she goes out to potty.

chicketychun has contributed a photo to this story.

Colure

at 06:29 on January 16th, 2009

Strider, dressed up as his favorite Star Wars character Yoda for Halloween 2008.

Colure has contributed a photo to this story.

ASPCA

at 06:58 on January 16th, 2009

This is Trotskii, star dog of Carrie Straus, an Editor for the ASPCA. Trotskii won the ASPCA's Halloween costume contest!

ASPCA has contributed a photo to this story.

Bakersfield Pugs

at 06:55 on January 16th, 2009

Count Pugula vants to suck your blood!

Bakersfield Pugs has contributed a photo to this story.

aelusive

at 07:05 on January 16th, 2009

Ha. That was cute

tigerdeaconmom

at 09:20 on January 16th, 2009

Max, the Min Pin, is a sweet little short haired 2 year old doggie. He's the baby of our family.

To keep our power bills lower we keep the thermostat low. The humans and the pups in our home wear an extra layer to keep the chills at bay.

I hand knit this sweater for Max and a matching one for his older brother, 11 year old Petey, the Boston Terrier.

tigerdeaconmom has contributed a photo to this story.

Tigny

at 10:13 on January 16th, 2009

My dog Daisy likes her t-shirts.

Tigny has contributed a photo to this story.

Angie McKaig (not verified)

at 11:31 on January 16th, 2009

Lady from Dorset says: "It's quite humiliating."

Um, for WHOM? You're worried about people who dress up their dogs anthromorphising them, but you think dogs are HUMILIATED?

If you're humiliated, lady,you don't have to look.

kaseyschiquita

at 17:59 on January 16th, 2009

This is my cat, Tomby. I got a "Santa Suit" for my dog Daisy.... and put it on her. Then I put the hat on my cat... and then my other cat (Tomby, ft in this photo).

I had woken her up and she was NOT happy. This is her 'get this thing off my before I kill you' look.

kaseyschiquita has contributed a photo to this story.

mocolena

at 19:46 on January 16th, 2009

My dog "Moco" wears the sweater which I knit.

mocolena has contributed a photo to this story.

lauriesaunders_abc

at 11:22 on January 17th, 2009

lauriesaunders_abc has contributed a photo to this story.

kojo_46

at 12:32 on January 17th, 2009

Some people and organizations need to get a life.

eckster

at 03:02 on January 19th, 2009

dog outfits are so wrong and by outfits i mean the silly ones that a human would never be seen in now why would owners think its okay to put these outfits on a poor dog saying that i don't see anything wrong with the ones that are practical and are to keep the dog warm these outfits are okay but back to the silly outfits they are just for show but would you walk about a park with it on ? i don't think it is a crime but i do think people should stop buying them and the price of these doggy outfits are so expensive most humans don't buy outfits that expensive strange.....

Lifestyle Communities

at 08:16 on January 21st, 2009

Our residents love to dress their pets. We host several pet only events in our communities, including pet Halloween contests that are very popular!

Lifestyle Communities has contributed a photo to this story.

ellenc995

at 12:24 on January 22nd, 2009

Riley,our Westie, likes to dress up for special occasions. Here he is all ready for Halloween.

ellenc995 has contributed a photo to this story.

duo

at 18:13 on January 25th, 2009

What's wrong with dressing up one's doggie? As long as they are not endangered by overdressing for the weather, what's the problem? My daughter never loved dressing her babydolls nearly as much as she enjoyed dressing our cat, Treatie. She dressed her up in cute newborn clothes and took her for rides up and down our hall in her little, red babydoll stroller. If Treatie did not feel like playing, she knew how to escape, believe me! Treatie enjoyed it most of the time.

Some folks are just grumpy and bossy. They don't know how to have fun and they hate to see other folks enjoying themselves. They want to make everything illegal!

Mary

Katie Chatham (not verified)

at 14:34 on January 28th, 2009

I think that this is ridiculous. There are so many dogs that are being abused, neglected, and mistreated. There isn't enough being done about it. There are so many unwanted animals. It is horrifying what people to do to animals. There needs to be so much improvement on punishing those who do these things. To thinks that there is actually someone trying to make a law against dressing up your animals because it is cruel is mind blowing. The people in the UK working on this project and trying to pass this ridiculous laws should spend their time on a cause that is worthwhile and that is going to make a positive difference in this society. There are so many tragedies that are taking place and people dressing up their animals is not one of them.