furry's finest

for the greater part of today, we've discussed about whether pets should or should not be dressed up and if their coats should be coloured. the ownership of a pet is a lifetime commitment. a pet is not a toy that you can put the switch button to off. in 2010 alone, overall spending of the states in the pet industry grew by 6.2 percent from $45.53 billion in 2009 to $48.35 billion in 2010. in canada, the average dog owner claims to spend over $1800 annually on each dog while the average cat owner spends around $1400 on each cat. this covers food, treats, vet, meds, litter, grooming, toys and other paraphernalia.

if you have more cash to part with, here are some of the finest accessories that you can buy for your pets.

Swarovski-studded Bathtub

in 2011, luxury goods designer lori gardner introduced extremely dazzling bathtub studded with 44,928 rose pink swarovski crystals. to continue this collection she created a mini-version of the tube adapted for your little poo. swarovski-studded dog bathtub allows your pet splashing in the lap of luxury. It comes with rose pink swarovski crystals placed by hand which probably took countless hours. the price is about $4000.

collar by Jeune Cheri

fancy a new pet collar? this one by jeune cheri retails at $280,000.

Hello Kitty doghouse

looking for unusual or unexpected luxury doghouse? this luxury doghouse was created in 2007 for a sales event at a department store in tokyo in collaboration with a maker of high-end pet goods. the doghouse is large enough for a chihuahua or terrier and is decorated with 7600 crystal beads and has a pillow in the shape of hello kitty’s face. this hello kitty doghouse will be available for you if you have over $30,000 to spare.

Tiara by Riwin Jirapolsek

it seems the world’s designers don’t feel financial crisis. in 2009, young thai jewellery designer riwin jirapolsek shocked the world by creating $4.2 million diamond tiara for his 15 year-old dog. it was shown to the audience during bangkok dog fashion show last week. the expensive pet tiara was created from titanium and decorated by more than 100 carats of diamonds and 153 carats of emeralds. to make such expensive dog tiara he used precious stones given to him by his mother. it took him two months to finish. the designer has no plans to sell this luxury tiara, he created it specially for kanune, his maltese pet.

the Amour Amour dog collar

finally, if you have $3.2 million, you can also buy the amour amour dog collar. it weighs in at 52 carats and is encrusted with 1,600 diamonds.

fash'on... BAM!

furry's fit

do you recall the time when you saw a picture of someone's pet dressed not as a pet? what was your first reaction? did you gush and download or share the image? if you are a pet owner, what are some tips to take note of if you are going to dress your pet up? i managed to get an expert from the animal kingdom to help me on this...

image from whatthecool

pet retail experts estimate that americans will spend a record $370 million this year to dress up their pets for Halloween. according to the national retail federation, the sale of pet costumes is one of the single largest categories that contributes to making halloween such a big holiday from a retail perspective.

picture from i-mockery

no matter how cute you think boxer looks in his pirate costume, most pets don’t like the constraints of costumes. do experiment to see how your pet reacts to being in a costume. here are some things to consider before dressing your pet up and bringing them out for the day:

1) avoid costumes with accessories your pets can eat. costumes with a lot of buttons, buttons, or bits that easily be pulled off or get snagged could be dangerous for your pet. especially if your pet is going to get antsy and start attacking the costume they’re wearing.

picture from 103.7 Lite FM

2) make sure it’s a comfortable costume. you have your comfort and tolerance levels with your own fashion. so do your pets. they are less inclined to suffer an uncomfortable costume.

taken from venganza

3) ensure the costume doesn’t impede your pet’s ability to walk and/or see. this falls back into comfort. If you pet can’t walk or see, there’s a greater chance they will try to remove the offending costume. hence if you have problems walking in a straight line wearing a patch over your eye, chances are that your pet is not too happy going around as batman.

image from gatewaypets

4) go slow and be liberal with the treats. most pets are used to running around in the covering god gave them, so they might be resistant to the hotdog costume you’re trying to put on them. give them treats after getting a paw in a sleeve or the zipper up a little. treats will make costuming a happy experience for your pets.

graphic from zujava

5) do not cross-dress your pets. i find it distasteful when pets are made to cross-dress so that we humans can have a laugh. it is not funny. 

fash'on... BAM!