Dog clothing is mainly for their owner's amusement.
According to the American Pet Products Association, as of 2010, a total of 77.5 million dogs reside in U.S. households. With the total pet industry expenditures for 2009 at $45.6 billion, amounting to $1,490 per year per dog, having a dog and keeping it healthy is expensive. America spends millions of dollars on doggie decorations and accessories even though all a dog really needs is a good diet, a warm comfortable bed, walks, play times, exercise, treats, toys, kindness, affection and love.
Convenience
Many dog items are for convenience of the owner such as the pet stroller which has the normal seat in front for the child and a detachable polyester carrier with shoulder strap on the back to accommodate the dog.
Other convenient items involve transportation. These include: waterproof pet seat covers (such as the hammock seat cover for the backseat to keep the dog cool, warm, safe), quilted pet seat covers, the dog golf-car seat, and wicker and micro-suede bike baskets.
Some clothing conveniences are raincoats and boots.
Owner's Amusement
Made more for the owner's delight than for their dog's comfort, dog clothing features: jerseys for every pro and college sports team, dresses, costumes, dog shirts, polka dot, patriotic, party tanks, panties sets, pink ruffled and pink bunny dog tank tops, personalized t-shirts. For the richer dog owner, Ralph Lauren has a line of pup sweaters, polo shirts and hoodies, while cheaper dog clothiers offer coats, jackets, dresses, costumes, outfits, shorts, pants, skirts, pajamas and swimsuits.
There are also accessories such as hats (sports caps, party hats, Santa hats and sailor caps), belts, neck wear (ties, mufflers, scarves, black, checkered, red, pink or silver satin bow ties, and bandannas) and faux mink stoles.
No ensemble is complete without sunglasses (including doggie goggles called doggles for the sports-minded), hair accessories such as hearts and lilac hair ties, enameled crystal hair clips, doggy necklaces, and to top it all off pet jewelry--pewter and jingle-bell collar charms and glitter bone tiaras.
Upkeep
All dogs require some hair accessories and other toiletries. Some items include conditioning shampoo, aromatherapy shampoo, fur butter, dry dog shampoo, eye pack that gets rid of eye stains, dog gas remedies and the fancy brushes, combs and nail clippers.
Dog beds come in every conceivable size, shape and color, and once the dog outfits begin to accumulate, the need for a dog wardrobe with beaded hangers arises.
Health
Some colorful, brightly printed health-oriented items include decorative collars, dog bone treats, boots, squeaky toys and Frisbees.
Dogs with arthritis, short-hair breeds like whippets, greyhounds and Chihuahuas, elderly and frail dogs benefit from sweater outfits that include knitted mufflers and matching hats.
Safety
To avoid slipping, fleece-lined and fur-trimmed, shoes, boots and hiker boots, sandals, and soft paw protectors flood the market, as do socks. A lot of these items have Velcro to speed up the donning and doffing.
Car seats and seat belts designed specifically for dogs, harness outfits, leashes and collars as well as designer dog crates, crate pads, cart covers, portable dog tents, pet seat belts and cargo liners are designed to keep the dog safe.
Even life jackets, life vests and life preservers are available for water safety.
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