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Life through the eyes of a fashion guru
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While attempting to pass the long hours of summer workdays more easily, my friend/coworker and I would occasionally surf the Internet. We developed a love for searching pet-finding sites and I cured my hatred for hairy Pomeranians (which I like to refer to as “poof dogs”). In fact, I spent a week actually looking to buy one.
The one thing that put a halt to my pooch purchasing: the price tags. Turns out my “poof dogs” cost quite a bit of cash. Several breeds are turning into fashion must-haves, and fashion must-haves are rarely easy on the pocket books. This disturbing trend leads me to ask: when did dogs become the new handbag?
There have always been endless amounts of celebrities, members of high-society and spoiled brats that carry around Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags wherever they roam. These labels prove the carrier’s adoration for expensive things and upper-end labels (not to mention scream “I have money!” at anyone who passes by).
But recently, pricey pooches have become the new stamp of expensiveness. The going rate for a purebred “puff dog” was upward of $1,000 and countless other breeds of in-demand dogs were priced anywhere from $1,000 – $9,000.
As sick and weird as this seems, there is an even more disturbing trend on the rise: knock-offs. The labradoodle, cockapoo, puggle … the list goes on and on. These hybrid pets don’t carry quite as hefty of price tags as the purebreds, but they aren’t cheap. They are the equivalent of a well-done imitation Fendi purse. Instead of thousands, consumers pay hundreds and get something close to what’s in high demand.
Mini pups have been added into the world of everything hot and trendy, creating a new must-have accessory: the couture canine.
I blame the high-profile celebs that carry these pups around with them, resulting in endless amounts of photos in seemingly more endless amounts of gossip magazines for creating this caste system in the canine world and instituting Burkin-worthy price tags for dogs.
I bet that if Paris Hilton and Hilary Duff carried mutts in their purses instead of chiauas the price of pure breeds would plummet. What’s so wrong about adopting a pet from the Humane Society anyway? Are they not as lovable because they cost less? Having grown up adopting dogs that my family believed to belong to a special “Who-knows” breed, the idea of a pricey purebred seems absurd.
It’s alarming how the public’s love for expensive, haute-couture dogs has skyrocketed recently and it seems that people are adopting dogs not for companionship, but to prove their status. Sure, pure breeds need love too. And if they’re adopted for reasons other than the fact that they’re the must-have of the season, they could make great best friends.
Many trend followers will find that these couture canines are dogs after all and require more time and affection than the status-giving handbags. A clutch doesn’t require walking. You won’t have to feed your Gucci tote or clean up after your Prada hobo. Dogs aren’t handbags, even if they both are adorable.
Sheree Whiteley
