29th October 2006

Best Dressed Pets

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With Hallowe'en just around the corner and then dressing up the Guy for fireworks and the start of office Christmas parties, it's the time of the year for dressing up. We don't see why our pets shouldn't have a little fun dressing to thrill too...

This week international news agency Reuters reported on the latest fad to hit the US pet market – we've recently seen weddings for dogs, now it seems owners feel their pets need to be able to dress up for Hallowe'en too, just like every other American child.

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association reports that more than 3.5 million Americans are expected to buy some kind of Hallowe'en product for their pets this year, whether that's catnip-filled pumpkins, edible rawhide Hallowe'en cards, or costumes for them to wear while 'trick or treating'.

Last year, the "Yoda Dog" took the top spot at popular US online store Annie's Costumes, but this year experts predict that pirates will be all the rage after the success of the latest Pirates Of The Caribbean movie.

Costumes like the Yoda Dog, which attach round the dog or cat's neck and hang down to simulate a small body below with the pet's head, make great photographs, but aren't really suitable to be worn for a long time. Anything that dangles from a pet's neck could potentially get caught up and either trap the pet or even strangle it. If you are attaching a costume round the neck, make sure it has Velcro that easily rips apart if part of the costume becomes trapped and always supervise your pet when wearing it – for example, don't let a dog off the lead wearing it and don't let your cat out of the house. If your pet is happy to sit for a photograph, wearing the costume that's fine, and even let it wear the costume to answer to door to children trick or treating, but don't force him to wear it for more than a few minutes at a time.

Most pets will let you know if they're unhappy wearing a costume. Many pets, especially cats, don't like having things on their heads, but will tolerate a well cut pet coat very happily. Perhaps this is the kindest way to dress up your pet and there are a lot of cute or funny coats on the UK market.

Pucci Pet Wear is a UK-based online store dedicated exclusively to accessories for pets. It features all kinds of jackets for dogs and cats from hoodies to rainyday coats and cotton t-shirts. Many of these come with slogans already printed, such as "Little Madam", or there’s an England Supporter’s hoodie with the St George cross and England printed on it. There's also a "Scary Bat" t-shirt for Hallowe'en.

Best of all on this site is a facility to print your own slogan on a pet t-shirt, so you can choose what your pet would like to say to the world.

If you prefer not to actually put your pet in costume, but want to give them some "bling", the site also offers unusual collars, ID tags and harnesses in butch black or pretty pink.

Another surprising, but well designed collection for pets comes from high street giant Accessorize, which has launched Accessorize for Pets, available online and in high street stores. The collection includes fancy collars and 'bandana collars' for both dogs and cats, as well as some fun t-shirts and regular dog coats in nice warm fabrics. Check it out at www.monsoon.co.uk/icat/accessorizeforpets.

Of course, if you're not into dressing your pet up, you can choose from all manner of pet retailers for matching collars and leads, baskets and bedding, and funky collars for cats and dogs. Whatever you're choosing to make your pet feel special, remember these golden rules to keep them safe too:

• Don't choose accessories with small parts that could be swallowed – e.g. loose crystals, buttons, studs or sequins
• Don’t choose anything that dangles from the pet's neck which could get caught and strangle them
• Supervise your pet closely at all times when wearing a costume – don't let them out of your sight
• When choosing a coat or t-shirt make sure it is designed so the pet can easily go for a pee or a poo – especially important for males – you don't want to have to wash their coat every day!
• If the pet doesn’t like it, it will let you know by shaking or pulling/biting at the item – listen to your pet and remove it if he’s distressed