I’ve never liked dog clothes. It seemed so unnatural and more of a hindrance to the dog than a benefit. However, at my time at a doggie day care and with some investigation, I have come to realize that not all clothes for dogs are unrealistic. In fact, sometimes they can be life saving.

Now, at my time at a doggie day care, I saw two examples of dog clothing, one pro and one con. The first, the con, were two little Yorkshire terriers who came in every so often. The female would wear little dresses and a bow in her fur while the male would wear a little sweater vest. I had a problem with this for three reasons. First of all, in a doggie day care setting, clothing can not only be a hindrance, it can be potentially threatening to the dog and his peers if they get caught up in it. Secondly, on hot days, these dogs would have more trouble cooling down, and the clothes had to be taken off for their sheer impracticality. Thirdly, the clothes did make them look adorable, but they were hardly adorable acting dogs. They needed obedience training before they could be paraded around like little dress up dolls, and even then, they were still dogs!

But there was another dog, a miniature pincher who constantly came in wearing a sweater. Now some days, obviously, this was not the best outfit for her to wear, but there were other days when she would be cowering in a corner, and she needed her sweater to keep her warm. In fact, one hot day, I took her sweater off of her. As she was boarding then, no one thought to be the sweater back on her when the temperature dropped again, and when I finally got back into the small dog areas where she was, I realized she was freezing cold and staying under the heater because no one put the sweater back on her when it got cold.

So there ARE pros and cons to having dog clothing, there just needs to be a little more care on the part of the owners as to who wears them.

Sweaters, fleece, and rain coats are a practical pick when it comes to dogs wearing clothing. Some dogs who have longer, thicker fur adjusted to the climate way not need it, but other dogs with shorter fur will lose heat a lot more easily during cold weather. Rain coats are also nice because that’s less of the dog exposed to cold rain, and the dog can be blow dried for whatever else has been exposed.

Booties and shoes can also come in handy, for dogs exposed to rain or going into the snow. Sled dogs are often shown wearing boots to protect them from the cold snow they are constantly drudging through. Dogs who are small, sick or elderly, and ergo can easily succumb to the cold, can benefit from clothing. Big dog clothing like blankets, like the snuggy, can come in handy for older dogs.  It's usually easier, however, to find small dog clothes as designers think they are cuter, that can be both functional and appealing to the eye.

So a dogs clothes can have their uses. People just need to use their judgment when it comes to putting them on their dog. Most dogs hate to wear anything extra, particularly on their feet, so don’t dress them up just for the hell of it. Practicality is key.