Feature article on dog fashions
Publication: Dogs Today
Publisher: Pet Subjects Ltd
Frequency: One-off article
Format: Article commissioned
Re-print: Also published (abridged) in ‘Naples Dog’ magazine, Florida, USA
Crufts goes bling: out with the tartan, in with the crystals (extract)
It’s been fifteen years since I trotted my Field Spaniel around the ring at Crufts, in the days when the smell of the exercise areas was the first thing that hit you as you walked into Earl’s Court. Now, of course, the world’s greatest dog show is firmly established at the NEC, where there is so much more space for dogs, benches, owners and – shopping!
Gone are the bad old days of shopping at dog shows, when rope leads came in three colours, black, red and, well, black actually. Blankets came in tartan, brown, and you guessed it, black. Chains came in silver and that was it. You get the idea.
Now the stylish owner can bedeck their prize pooch in almost any colour lead imaginable – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A quick trawl through a selection of pet web sites reveals the wonderful world of dog fashions, from the practical to the frankly absurd. The dog with a credit card in its paws can indulge in a passion for style that extends from t-shirts to diamante collars, sunhats to wedding dresses. Yet how far has this quest for fashion extended into the hallowed halls of Crufts? I made it my mission to find out…
The answer came as I battled my way through the crowds swarming around the trade stands – at 10am on Sunday morning. Already the halls were alive with the sound of tills ringing (or beeping), as owners, trainers and Joe Public alike stuffed their already bulging plastic bags with more goodies for their canine companions. So, was there a theme to their purchases, this season’s ‘must-have’?
The answer came loud and clear from the stallholders: it’s got to be bling, and preferably pink. Yes, pink. I went on gundog day, remember. Pink, are you sure? Absolutely. And how much bling, precisely? As much as physically possible, it seems...
© Copyright Kirsty Young. All rights reserved.
First printed in the UK in Dogs Today magazine, May 2006 edition, published by Pet Subjects Ltd.
return to Sample Articles page
Publisher: Pet Subjects Ltd
Frequency: One-off article
Format: Article commissioned
Re-print: Also published (abridged) in ‘Naples Dog’ magazine, Florida, USA
Crufts goes bling: out with the tartan, in with the crystals (extract)
It’s been fifteen years since I trotted my Field Spaniel around the ring at Crufts, in the days when the smell of the exercise areas was the first thing that hit you as you walked into Earl’s Court. Now, of course, the world’s greatest dog show is firmly established at the NEC, where there is so much more space for dogs, benches, owners and – shopping!
Gone are the bad old days of shopping at dog shows, when rope leads came in three colours, black, red and, well, black actually. Blankets came in tartan, brown, and you guessed it, black. Chains came in silver and that was it. You get the idea.
Now the stylish owner can bedeck their prize pooch in almost any colour lead imaginable – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A quick trawl through a selection of pet web sites reveals the wonderful world of dog fashions, from the practical to the frankly absurd. The dog with a credit card in its paws can indulge in a passion for style that extends from t-shirts to diamante collars, sunhats to wedding dresses. Yet how far has this quest for fashion extended into the hallowed halls of Crufts? I made it my mission to find out…
The answer came as I battled my way through the crowds swarming around the trade stands – at 10am on Sunday morning. Already the halls were alive with the sound of tills ringing (or beeping), as owners, trainers and Joe Public alike stuffed their already bulging plastic bags with more goodies for their canine companions. So, was there a theme to their purchases, this season’s ‘must-have’?
The answer came loud and clear from the stallholders: it’s got to be bling, and preferably pink. Yes, pink. I went on gundog day, remember. Pink, are you sure? Absolutely. And how much bling, precisely? As much as physically possible, it seems...
© Copyright Kirsty Young. All rights reserved.
First printed in the UK in Dogs Today magazine, May 2006 edition, published by Pet Subjects Ltd.
return to Sample Articles page
