There’s this new client I have. She’s one of those ideal finds—the kind of client that will do anything you recommend, but never fails to ask questions, do her own research and bring in a list of issues to discuss. I’m thankful for these, much as they might tax my schedule with their personal due diligence.
Problem is, this one’s pet wears a dress with a frilly skirt on nearly every visit. It’s a little weird but it’s indisputably sweet—in its own strange way. This owner loves her dog so much she over-humanizes it—the pup is her child in a [slightly bizarre but] very concrete sense of the term.
We consider our pets family (those of you reading this, I mean) but we all have degrees to which we humanize them. Sure, the skirt and French kisses thing (she does that, tooo) might seem weird to you, but is it pathological…or wrong in some way?
I’m not really complaining, I’m just saying…
You may think you’re one of those die-hard pet persons whose view of pets is as perfect family member—no harsh opinions, gleeful demeanor…in short, the excellent pleasant companion, even when something ails him. You’d never think of disgracing him with an outfit. That’s not really putting him on the level with humans, is it? Maybe not, but he definitely serves as something of a human substitute (a better alternative, you’d perhaps admit). I see this as one level of humanization.
The Barbie dress-up and full-tongue contact kisses? “Yuck!” you might say. But how different is that from our own take when you factor in our cultural norms and deep-seated needs? (OK, it’s still weird.)
Many self-proclaimed (and sometimes worthily so) dog experts often decry these practices as an offensive denial of our pets’ dogness and a recipe for behavioral malfeasance—by both canines and humans.
Cesar Milian is one prominent proponent of this anti-humanization, yet he makes most of his money on the very concept he dissuades clients from accepting: dogs are our friends and family and should be treated as such. And this partnership implies a level of fraternization on a near-human level—the very humanization he disparages so through his oft-brusque tactics and see-it-like-a-dog mantra.
That’s all well and good (and it works, depending on your goals)—but we are human after all. And humanizing pets is not stupid, evil or wrong…it’s human.
There are others who use the concept of humanization to imply that our increasing isolation (among other existentialist cultural adaptations) in the US has promoted pet ownership almost single-handedly. These same people will also suggest that humanization is a Madison Avenue construct designed to sell mountains of pet food and piles of frilly outfits.
Tell that to the French whose dogs have been lolling their tongues under white tablecloths for decades (and Camus is no excuse). They just love their dogs. Humanize them? Sure, the same way we all do—we call them “domesticated” for a reason.
While the most freaky, dress-your-pet-to-the-nines deviant might suffer in the extreme, we all hold our own [not necessarily misplaced] delusions that pets are more friend and family-worthy than their human counterparts.
Of course we all know they’re still animals. Of course humanization has its drawbacks (especially when used to spoil our pets senseless). But have you looked at our children recently? I’d counter that humanization isn’t so much the problem as our general inability to raise behaviorally healthy animals…of any species.
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Hey, my dog has that life vest!
I know what you mean. I have a Chihuahua and so I know a lot of people who put their dogs in little dresses. I can't bring myself to do it. Coat when it's freezing and snowing? Sure. Dress just for fun? No. It just crosses my personal boundary. Plus, my dog hates it, she flails around on the floor like she's been tasered....lol.....I don't knock the people who do it, to each their own. And as long as the dog is loved and cared for, so be it. But, I do find my mind wandering when I'm in a group of these people, thinking "why would you do that?"......Incidentally, I do fully admit to severely humanizing my dog in every other way. What can I say, she thinks she's people!
amy June 22nd, 2007 09:15:00 AM
French kisses?! All I can say is, she must not have cats. Personally, no one who eats from the litter box shall ever kiss me on the mouth. Ok, not often. Still.
And dresses? I am cracking up! There is a bulldog in our neighbourhood who wears his Harley Davisdon leather jacket all winter long, and he always makes me smile. He gets cold, though, and I have collies, so - no coats for us. And a dress? Not in this lifetime. My girlies are dogs, not babies, much as I adore them. Ok, so I bought Libby that pink t-shirt which says 'Does this shirt make my tail look big?" But that was very, very wrong. And funny.
:D
Cindy June 22nd, 2007 09:39:00 AM
There's an email going around (and has been going around) with the subject line "why dogs bite." Open it up, and you see photo after photo of dogs dressed in silly ways.
My dogs get a bandana once in a while and when I was doing visits at nursing homes and hospitals, the one named Jester wore jester collars appropriate for the season. (A banadana or a jester collar makes a big black dog seem not so scary, I guess.) But that's as far as I'll go with the dress up. One of the bandanas says "free kisses" as kind of a pre-slurp warning. (No litter box treats in this household.) One of my mix-breeds loves his bandanas and dances and wriggles with happiness.
The best dress up I've seen is a big, black dog in a skeleton costume.
Deanna June 22nd, 2007 10:20:00 AM
I have 3 Hairless Chinese Crested dogs, and I have a drawer full of coats and sweaters for them. Even living in central Florida, we have days when my dogs get cold. The difference is that I put protective clothing on my dogs - I don't dress them up!
That being said, I don't mind people dressing up their dogs, as long as the dogs don't mind being dressed up. I have been to many pet events where it was obvious the dogs hated the offending clothing items. What I do mind is the people who baby their pets and believe that loving them means never disciplining them. As Dr. K. pointed out, this attitude is too prevalent in parents of human children today also.
This thread makes me think of the quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
'Men have forgotten this truth,' said the fox. 'But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.'
Susan June 22nd, 2007 11:38:00 AM
And I have Sphynxes... And let me tell you- my girl comes running to me in the middle of winter to get her sweater on! (And one of them has a set of wings and says, "Angel", on it).
After you have a hairless critter- it just becomes natural to start to eyeball everyone else and think, "Hmmm- what can I put on YOU?"
Trish June 22nd, 2007 12:14:00 PM
It isn't the dressing up I see as the complete problem. That is fine, for some people. It is the lack of teaching them limits or acceptable behavior. How many little dogs bite and get away with it because they don't do as much damage? (Oh how cute-she is protecting me!) Let a doberman do the same thing and it is dig out the blue juice.
While CM isn't my favorite dog personality I do agree with his treat a dog like a dog first mentality. If you give them exercise and teach them the rules they need to live as a well behaved dog then dress away. Personally I'll spend my money on things I KNOW the dogs will like (Kongs, nylabones, treats, comfy beds, etc) instead.
That said my frenchie does have a winter coat and a raincoat or she refuses to go out for potty time in bad weather. I don't french kiss my dogs but I do share my ice creme cones. :-)
BTW congrats on the Bark article Dr K. It is always exciting to get published. (and that is an excellent magazine)
Marie June 22nd, 2007 03:08:00 PM
Aside from the risk of being run out of town on a rail by Schutzhund people if I put clothes on my GSD...yeah, right, I would...I have another objection to clothes on dogs. He's got a fur coat, rather a handsome one. Do I? Ha!
He's already equipped with the best looking outfit he could have. And thank God, it isn't pink.
Gil. June 22nd, 2007 06:19:00 PM
Ok, I admit it. I have three pit bulls and I dress them up. It started innocently enough- a winter coat for the dog with next to no body fat who shivers and chatters her teeth when it's below 45 degrees. Then came the Halloween costumes. And then more Halloween costumes. And different winter coats. There's an Eagle's jersey that she won in a photo contest. And booties. And a t-shirt. And grandma-knitted sweaters. And doggles. And if I could find one in my girldog's size, she'd have a frilly dress, too, even though she's the least frilly dog I know.
It amuses me, and they all put up with it ridiculously well. I think a big part of that is because it brings them huge amounts of attention in public (I only dress them up to take them out, with the exception of the winter coats), and they're all total attention hogs. I get the opportunity to educate a lot of people about the breed when they are sucked in by the dogs in the funny outfits.
(I've been known to dress my cat, too. But that's pure sadism.)
elegy June 22nd, 2007 08:11:00 PM
"(I've been known to dress my cat, too. But that's pure sadism.)"
My kitten Poe (she was dropped at my feet by a crow, hence the name - suits a black cat) still likes her baby blankets we used when she was new, since she didn't even have her eyes open when we got her. If she finds one, she brings it to me and expects to be wrapped up. And since she was spoiled, I kept giving her a night-time bottle till she was 5 months. I'm sure if I had dressed her, she'd still insist upon doing it.
Cindy June 22nd, 2007 08:23:00 PM
My girl cat wears cat-sized t-shirts and little dresses. The boy cat has some nice cat-sized polo shirts but he doesn't like them that much. I'm assuming the girl doesn't mind much because she lets me put them on her without a fight. She'll wear them for 1-3 days and then take them off herself and put them under the bed. If I sense that she's not in the mood to wear something, I won't force her into it.
My cats are my children, they get fed a balanced diet (a mix of 3 very healthy cat foods), get fresh water and a clean litter box every day. I also have health insurance for them so that if they need care, I don't have to make the decision of care or no-care based on the bill at the vet's office.
Beyond any clothing, special food, or health care, I live by the principle that our pets are our responsibility and that when we take on that responsibility we need to do the best that we can for them to our limit of reasonbility. Giving them clothes to wear is just one way of saying that we feel like they are part of the family. Cats weren't born with clothing so I doubt it matters very much to them. (Unless, of course, you coo over them and worship them when they are wearing the clothes).
No - the french kisses!
Wendy June 23rd, 2007 09:46:00 AM
LMAO!
French kissing any animal is gross!
For people that have hairless breeds or small dogs that live in cold climates, I don't have a problem with the dog wearing a coat or a sweater. I've even seen Greyhounds wearing coats or what looks like mini horse blankets during the winter because they just retired from the track and don't have a whole lot of body fat. I also don't mind people dressing their pets up for Halloween or when owners put dog boots on their pets to protect the dogs pads due to weather or whatever.
When a dog has a outfit for everyday of the week, there's problem. That's just as bad as the new fad thing to do with toy breeds. Instead of allowing the dog to actually walk in the four feet they were given, now they are walked around in doggie strollers. What's up with that? There are dogs out there that need a dog cart because their legs don't function properly, but now we have these dogs that don't have spinal / leg problems and their not allowed to get exercise? YIKES!
Since Ceasar was mentioned, I have seen him use one of these strollers once and it wasn't for the dog in the family. It was used for the cat so that the dog would get the idea that the cat was part of the pack. He too thought is was a thinking out of the box way of dealing with the problem but it worked, so that's all that matters.
Have I dressed up my dogs? Yes but it was out of fun and I didn't parade them around town while wearing t-shirts and boots on their front paws.
Stacy June 23rd, 2007 10:55:00 AM
Dressing up your pit? That works. It helps propagate the perception that they're really not all that vicious. I like it.
And my dogs love their clothes, too, even in warm Miami. They seem to love the softness of the sweaters I knit for them.
Dr. Patty Khuly June 23rd, 2007 09:37:00 PM
Okay Dr.Patty, now you need to post pictures of your frenchies in their sweaters. =)
Stacy June 24th, 2007 04:49:00 PM
i totally spoil my vizsla every chance that i get, i don't have a kid, so she's my substitue kid. however, she knows her place & realizes that i'm the boss, no matter what! i see too many people that there their dogs (esp. the little yappers) like humans. it only leads to problems like biting other people & disipline problems
dog collar addict June 25th, 2007 05:58:00 PM
Yes, I am among the aforementioned doggy-dressers. My obsession also started innocently, with a doggie jacket for my Golden who suffers from multiple issues resulting in a very sparse coat. Then came designer collars for all four dogs (complete with their names spelled in faux diamonds). Of course, fancy leashes to match, and more coats for my Pom and my Rott.
The ultimate had to be last year when they were all fitted with their very own Doggles... goggle/sunglasses for dogs. They must wear them if they want to stick their heads out the window (slow speeds only, of course... flying debris can hurt lips and noses too, at high speeds!). My rott, however, prefers to wear them everywhere she goes.. along with any of her flashy look-at-me t-shirts. She just loves the attention it gets her.
The only dog in my home free from wardrobe is my St. Bernard. She is exempted for two reasons, being her obscenely warm fur coat (even in the winter a t-shirt can make her uncomfortably warm on a long walk) and the sheer difficulty in finding her size (she's a plus-sized girl as far as dogs go, even though she's slim and trim, being built like a grizzly makes shopping a challenge).
The line, however, is drawn at "cutesy." We will toe the line with "trendy" usually only on our Pom (cause she's just so damn cute!) but cutesy is too much.
After this essay on my doggie wardrobe, it is essential that I elaborate on one important detail. My dogs are still dogs. They have rules, are expected to maintain their manners at all times, and are never unsure who the "boss" of this house is. We've found the best way to balance the two schools of thought is by utilizing our house motto... "Bad dogs get nothing... good dogs get EVERYTHING!"
As long as that line is in place, let's go shopping!
Kim June 25th, 2007 09:30:00 PM
Kim: I'm with you on your basic philosophy of behavior, but mine goes, "nothing in life is free."
Dr. Patty Khuly June 28th, 2007 06:48:00 PM
I admit, I am a doggy dresser-upper. I have an 18 week old pug/JRT mix and the clothing thing started when I brought her back from New York to Nor Cal at 7 weeks. It gets cold and rainy here and seeing her shiver when we went outside to potty made me sad. So I got her a couple sweaters and a tiny pink jacket. Her wardrobe has not expanded to include a raincoat, a couple dresses and jackets, a polo shirt, a denim jumper, a few track jackets, a t-shirt that says "queen of hearts" on it, and her dale earnhardt jr jersey she sports on race day. She has a better wardrobe than I do. Haha. That being said, I do not put clothes on her every day. She wears a sweater or jacket if it's cold outside and occasionally if we go to run errands or to visit people she'll wear a little dress or outfit. She doesn't care much for the putting it on part, but once its on she doesn't seem bothered. I'm looking at getting her a pair of doggles, as she is part pug and her eyes stick out a bit.
She is spoiled, but well taken care of. She gets premium kibble and healthy snacks, the best veterinary care, lots of love and now that she has had all of her shots is able to be socialized with people and other dogs at the dog parks. She's partially command trained, and we constantly work on manners. We're even taking a puppy education class. I don't see a problem with people who want to dress their dogs up..but I do have a problem with people who dress their dogs up and forget they are dogs and don't teach them manners. I'm well aware of the Tiny Dog Complex and have no intention of becoming one of those owners. My dog very rarely barks or yips at the dog park. I don't scoop her up out harm's way if she gets into it with a bigger dog and she understands that while I'm not going to let her get hurt, I'm not going to give her the opportunity to think that she can be a nuisance and I'm going to rescue her. I've grabbed her by the back end and dragged her away and either steer her to the other end of the park or we leave. I don't push her in a stroller or carry her in a little doggy purse. She prefers to be on the ground so she can sniff everything out. I don't give her french kissies but she does give cheek kissies. I love my dog, but I understand there's a fine line between plain out and out spoiled, and spoiled while still understanding their place and being taught manners. Not to mention, Lola loves the attention she gets when she wears a pretty little outfit.
Danielle March 9th, 2008 08:46:00 AM
I have a Min-Pin, and i lve her to death. So far I have gotten her a little pink jacket for when it gets cold, and she doesnt mind it. I also got her a bright orange life jacket so she can go swimming with us in the summer. She minds that because it means water. Is it bad if I intend for her to be my flower girl in my upcoming wedding? The little girls I know are too old to pull it off, and I think she will look soo cute in a blue frilly dress. (hey, no way will it be pink.) I still treat her like a dog, for a while she was sleeping with me, but that got old and now she has a doggie bed.
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