Costumes on dogs are demeaning, insulting, and humiliating!

That’s what I believed in all my self-righteous heart.

Many of our devoted pets were bred to hunt, to retrieve, and to kill rats,
not to be spectacles.

But recently, I cast off my moral/ethical canine beliefs—radically.

It happened innocently enough. I was browsing online for a holiday
sweater for my friend’s pug, Princess—something functional for Chicago’s winter.
Maybe a discrete plaid, or a knit.

And then—amidst all the outerwear—I saw it!

A fifties costume. A black-and-white striped top with a pink tutu skirt with a
black poodle applique—topped off with a pink velvet bow for the dog’s head.

Irresistible!

It was as if La Vie En Rose or Rock Around the Clock were playing
in the background.

I mailed it off to my friend in time for her Christmas party.

Of course, Princess, in all her finery, was the star of the evening.

True, she wasn’t fond of the bow on her head, but she coped.

Guests swooned.
“I’ve never seen such a fabulous dog!” they exclaimed.
“So adorable!” they gushed.
“She’s the best dressed one here!” they giggled.

Princess beamed. She enjoyed her new celebrity role.

And my disapproval underwent a reversal: I realized dogs were also bred to bring joy.