Cavilier King Charles Spaniel

Is pet clothing practical or just cute?

She grew up with dogs who never had toys, a bed or a stitch of clothing. So when she got her first dog as an adult — a cavalier King Charles spaniel named Winston — Alys Klouse never thought about getting him a jacket. Not until the day a stranger chided her for being a bad dog mom.

The 37-year-old who works for a risk management company in Annapolis, Md., was sitting in a restaurant one late winter day while Winston waited outside. She sat where she could see him and placed a towel on the ground. But after about 45 minutes, a woman came in and told her the dog was very cold and she needed to take better care of him.

That day, Klouse bought a fleece dog jacket and a yellow rain slicker.

“Ever since then, I’ve never not had a jacket,” she said. “It didn’t occur to me ever to get a jacket … the dog has hair.”

Pet product sales up

Winston has gained a sidekick since then, a dog of the same breed named Maxwell. Both now have a fleece coat, a rain jacket and a sweatshirt with a drawstring hood.

“They’re functional in the cold and snow,” said Klouse, who uses the clothing for walks, visits to the dog park or trips to Starbucks.

Klouse lives in dog-friendly Annapolis, where a pet boutique sits across the street from the statehouse, downtown shops commonly offer dogs snacks and bowls of water, and locals take part in doggie trick-or-treating. It’s a reflection of the fact that, over the years, people are spending more on pet items such as clothing.

This year, the American Pet Products Association estimates more than $50 billion will be spent on Fluffy and Fido. That’s a sharp rise from 10 years ago, when owners spent $28 billion on their animals.

Luxury or necessity?

Although pet parents can buy T-shirts for the tiniest Chihuahua to rain slickers for the biggest dog, some say most clothing is a luxury.

“Bottom line, for many breeds, dog (clothing) is not needed,” said Dr. David Gonsky, medical director at Chicago’s West Loop Veterinary Care. “For lots of breeds, hair coat is enough.”

The exception, Gonsky said, are dogs with thin coats such as greyhounds and Chihuahuas, or older dogs without enough body weight to keep warm. For those types, Gonsky said coats or rain jackets can be helpful.

But he said dog booties are a different animal. Salt and ice can pack a dog’s paw pads during cold winters, causing a rash and inflammation. Boots covering paw pads prevent this, and medically, Gonsky thinks most booties are equal.

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