WMDHM: Greatest Hits of the Dog Dressing Phase

By Edie Jarolim | Published: April 5, 2010

Dog cops of Dusseldorf/ Reuters

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a year since I started this blog, on April 12, 2009. Whenever I’m tempted to think that I’m not where I wanted to be at this point, which is fairly often, I remind myself of a few things:

  • I had no clear idea of where I wanted to be, so it’s kind of unrealistic to beat myself up for not being there. It’s a bit like saying, I’m only in California, not very far from Arizona, when I didn’t save up for a trip to Paris or book a flight.
  • I’ve done what a vast majority of beginning bloggers don’t manage to do: lasted a year.
  • I’ve been invited to speak at BlogPaws, the first pet blogger’s conference — coming up this weekend! — which suggests some pretty impressive people have been reading this blog.

So I’m thinking I’ve been doing something — or at least some things — right. And that’s a good basis for vowing to do better next year and, especially, to hone my focus. If any regular readers have some thoughts about what they’d like to see more of (or less of) here, I’d love to know.

In the meantime, I’m looking back. The first incarnation of my blog was based on an alternate title for my book, Am I Boring My Dog: Will My Dog Hate Me If I Dress Him? Here are my favorite posts from the dog fashion phase:

Germany’s Finest: Dogs In Blue (Shoes) celebrates the police dogs of Dusseldorf, tasked to patrol the streets of the city.

Japanese Dog Dressing, Part 1 features DIY costumes and cute dogs. I think I could have devoted my entire blog just to dog fashion in Japan.

Admit it: You’re smiling

Giving Dog Couture a Bad Name is pretty self explanatory. Even Leona Helmsley didn’t make her pup, Trouble, don a diamond tiara.

My dog sunglasses series was a lot of fun… so much so that I’m choosing two posts to represent it: Sunglasses: Fashion Accessory or Dog Necessity? Part 1 and CATs for Dogs.

from DogsWearingSunglasses.com

Finally, my rationale for being able to highlight dog dressing in the first place, the still very timely Well, If the ASPCA Says It’s Okay…. It heralds what turned out to be the first of an annual Go Orange Photo Contest to create awareness for April Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. Check it out, enter — and look at last year’s winners. They’re a hoot.

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Asian Dog Fashion

By Edie Jarolim | Published: December 5, 2009

[originally posted November 15th, 2009]

It’s been a while since I blogged purely about dog fashion but I can’t resist — and why should I? — posting these pics sent by my peripatetic friend, Donna L. Hull, who writes about baby boomer travel at My Itchy Travel Feet. Donna is not only amazingly good about keeping up with posts and taking photos while on the road (or in this case, sea). She also remembers her friends who lead more sedentary lives.

South Korean dog chic, Seoul

South Korean dog chic, Seoul

Savvy Thai canines shop Bangkok's night market

Savvy Thai canines shop Bangkok's night market

Most of these fashions are a bit feminine, but I think Frankie would look swell in the Korean kimono-type item; it fits his “you exist to serve me” attitude.

I can’t help but think, based not only on this sample but also extended research into the topic, that Asian dogs are the best dressed in the world; see also Japanese Dog Dressing Part 1 and Dog Dressing and Sumo Wrestling.

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Celebrating Dog-tober: A New Contest!

By Edie Jarolim | Published: October 8, 2009

I’ve been in the doldrums lately — post partum after my book birth? too many publications I used to write for hitting the chopping block? — and have decided I know the cure: Contest! This one will be a bit less cerebral than my earlier What Books Would Bore Your Dog competition but just as much fun. And the prize(s) will be the same, a copy of Am I Boring My Dog.

The timing is perfect. There are five interconnected events to celebrate in October.

– The sixth-month anniversary of my blog (started April 12).

– Adopt a Shelter Dog month

– The five year anniversary of adopting Frankie

– My birthday

– Halloween

Therefore I’m going back to the blog’s original mandate, that I would provide a place where people would feel no shame about dressing their dogs — provided, of course, that the clothing was comfortable and the pup willing. Indeed, this blog’s name, Will My Dog Hate Me, is short for Will My Dog Hate Me If I Dress Him (which was an alternative title to Am I Boring My Dog).

So to celebrate sharing my life with my own fashion forward rescue pup, I will award a copy of my book in five categories, based on a selection of the costumes that Frankie wore in the book trailer:

Western chic

Western wear Frankie

Western wear Frankie

Biker chic

Bad to the bone Frankie

Bad to the bone Frankie

Continental/Euro chic

Ooh la, la!

Ooh la, la Frankie!

Cross species or bad visual pun chic

Bad pun Frankie (Bunny, Easter Island -- get it?)

Bad pun Frankie (Bunny, Easter Island -- get it?)

Space chic (for some reason, I don’t have a still for this particular outfit, so I will be forced to post the entire book trailer video, heh, heh. Look towards the end, with Frankie wearing the tin foil Martian antennae)

The only rules: The dog must have been a rescue, and the costume must look like it’s not tormenting the dog. A good back story is an asset: Send any info you like about your dog’s name, age, story… I will give extra points for home made costumes, in keeping with the spirit of several of Frankie’s best looks. Continental Frankie’s beret, for example, was created by a pair of underpants belonging to one of the videographers secured in the back with a safety pin. (Hmmm. Should I be giving away trade secrets….?)

Oh yeah and no pugs dressed as spiders in the cross-species category. I’ve seen far too many of those, and though I adore pugs — and don’t mind spiders — it’s a cliche by now.

I learned something from my last contest: There’s no predicting how many entries there will be. So I’ll just say that I’m planning to post the entries throughout the rest of this month and that the contest will end on Halloween.

I’m also not sure about all the technical aspects of this but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Send jpegs to me at writestf at mac dot com with the subject line: Dog-tober Contest.

Have fun!

Update: I’ve  just been reminded that it’s Bo Obama’s birthday, another Dog-tober event to celebrate — and very apropos to this contest, since my first post was about Bo’s fashion sense. Many happy rrrrr–eturns!

Also posted in Am I Boring My Dog, Book giveaway contest, Dog humor, Dog video on YouTube, Special occasion dog wear | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

No dogs were harmed…

By Edie Jarolim | Published: July 15, 2009

…in the making of this video. I’m afraid I don’t have any production shots that show the smoke and mirrors — or, to be precise, green screen and owner crouching under a table and cradling her dog’s butt — but trust me. Unlike the videographers of Open Lens Productions who set up large, hot lights and schlepped heavy props around my house, Frankie was perfectly comfortable. In fact, he seemed kind of bored by the proceedings. So don’t worry if he looks blase. It’s just existential (dogsistential?) ennui, not drugs.

Frankie takes off on his bookselling journey

Frankie takes off on his bookselling journey

Frankie the Western outlaw

Frankie the Western outlaw

Picture 28

And so the adventure begins.

Am I Boring My Dog, Part 1

Also posted in Am I Boring My Dog, Dog Travel, Responsible dog care, Special occasion couture | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A shaggy surf dog story

By Edie Jarolim | Published: June 29, 2009

Here, at last, is my report on the Loews Surf Dog Competition. Sort of. It’s still more about my friend Clare, our dogs, Frankie and Archie, and a cast of supporting characters who became involved by sheer coincidence.

***

So…Clare and I didn’t manage to get to the contest site, Imperial Beach, early enough to nab parking in the vicinity. We agreed that Clare and Archie would search for a place to put the car while Frankie and I scoped out the crowded beach for a blanket-plopping spot.

As soon as Clare drove off, I run into Mike Harris. A realtor and border tour guide (not to mention all around nice guy), Mike is the significant other of my friend Jane Onstott. Jane, as her website proclaims, is a Mexico guru.  Two weeks earlier, she and Mike had stopped in Tucson en route to San Miguel de Allende from San Diego, with Jane’s collie, Lulu, and her cat, Carlos. I had last seen them all sitting on the bed of a Motel 6 watching a hockey game. Carlos and Lulu were, naturally, rooting for different teams.

By the time I arrived in San Diego, Jane and her menagerie were settled in San Miguel, while Mike had returned to San Diego. Who knew?  His office, at Spirit Realty, turned out to be right near the stretch of Imperial Beach where the surf dog contest was being held.

Mike had just emerged from his office, seeking a burrito, when he spotted me.

Appropriate expressions of surprise and delight exchanged, I went off on my own mission, to find a viewing spot for the contest. Mike said to be sure to stop by his office after the event — and during it if we needed to use the bathroom. Beach restrooms, especially those in the proximity of great quantities of dogs, being generally less than desireable, this last offer was much appreciated.

I found a spot, as did, in their own assigned realm, Clare and Archie, who soon joined us.

The competition was a blast. Retrievers ruled in the over 40 pound category, nabbing 1st second and third place; terriers were tops in the under 40 pound slot. The tandem category, in which humans and dogs rode together, was a mixed bag, breed-wise. But all those details are on the contest’s website.

Archie, being from Santa Barbara, was in his element at the beach. The surprise: Tucson-raised Frankie turned out to be a sand ‘n’ surf fan, too. I won’t pretend he was excited by the crowds, but he was more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him among throngs of strangers. Must have been those negative ions.

After about an hour of surfdog action, we decided to head back to our luxe, dog-friendly digs at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort. But before we trekked off to the car, we stopped in to say hi to Mike (and his bathroom).

He asked how we liked the event, still ongoing. “Great,” I said, “Except that I forgot my camera.”

“I live nearby,” Mike said. “I’ll get my camera, and take some pictures for you.”

And so he did. They’re posted below. As I already mentioned, Mike is a really nice guy. If you’re going to buy a house in San Diego or take a border tour, I suggest you go to him.

Watching in the water

Watching in the water

One of the proud participants

One of the proud participants

A surfdog fashionista

A surfdog fashionista

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Our Doggies, Ourselves

By Edie Jarolim | Published: June 25, 2009

I’m embarrassed to admit a key reason I haven’t yet blogged about the Loews Coronado Bay surf dog festival: I am photographically challenged. It’s not just that I tend to take lousy pictures; I also break nearly every camera I touch, even disposable ones. I’ve joked for years that my ex-husband, a photographer, put a curse on me: “You shall never, ever take a good picture in my lifetime.” It’s a funny excuse but unfair; Al and I parted on reasonably good terms. And, at least as far as I know, it’s untrue.

So. I am herewith taking all responsibility for my photophobia and confessing: Being used to shunning photography before being forced to take it up when I started blogging, I forgot my camera in the hotel room for the surf dog event.

This is all an elaborate lead in to last night’s email exchange with Clare, my best friend and San Diego vacation companion.

Because I didn’t bring a camera and neither did Clare — you’ll have to take up her photophobia with her — we were happy to find that one of the festival’s sponsors, CanineMix.com, was taking pictures and posting them on their site. Here are the ones of Archie, Clare’s dog, and Frankie:

Archie at the Surf Dog Festival

Frankie at the Surf Dog Festival

When I sent the link to Clare, she wrote, “Great! But why does Archie always look tortured and Frankie always looks like a runway model?”

I responded, “Arch does not look tortured! And I think Frankie looks like he has 5 o’clock shadow.”

Go ahead, laugh. Clare and I always do. But it brings up the point: Just as we tend to assume others judge us by our partners — it’s not just women; ever hear the term “trophy wife”? — we also secretly believe that others judge us by our dogs.

And to a certain degree, they do. A badly behaved, out-of-control dog often reflects the training given or, rather, the lack thereof. And we think ill of someone whose pup is matted beyond the point of good health. All other notions of being assessed on our dogs’ appearance are pretty much in the realm of the irrational. Which doesn’t mean we don’t fall for them, as the burgeoning canine fashion industry attests.

In fact, more people pay attention to balding, arthritic Archie, now 15 years old, than they do to Frankie, spry and cute as a button at 10. That’s because Archie is a friendly guy, still meeting and greeting the crowds as he did in the past, while Frankie remains shy to the point that he can only be admired from afar.

Should what other people think matter to me and Clare? Hell no. Does it nevertheless? You bet. And don’t try to tell me you never experienced similar feelings, no matter how much you love your pup.

P.S. This is not to suggest I don’t have onsite pictures of the surf dog event; I do — that’s another shaggy dog story — and I plan to post them. I just wanted to get the fact that I didn’t actually take any of them off my chest.

Also posted in Dog Travel, Responsible dog care | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

He’s a dog, not a disease

By Edie Jarolim | Published: May 27, 2009

I really didn’t want to blog about canine diabetes.

Specifically, I didn’t want to create a site where people only came to discuss illness. I was terrified of having a comments section where all the avatars wore angel wings, and where the Rainbow Bridge was the most popular travel destination.

And I especially didn’t want people to think of Frankie, the cute pup in the picture frame, as a disease, not a dog.

But I can’t pretend that Frankie’s diabetes doesn’t have a huge impact on our lives, not all of it negative. Yes, there are the insulin — uh, Vetsulin — shots twice a day, 12 hours apart (his). The obsessing about diet (mine). The urine strips to measure glucose (a joint effort, involving his peeing into a glass dish and my dipping skinny slips of paper into it).

But there’s also the change in career (mine) to become a dog writer.

I’ll get to all that. This is just to say that I’m expanding the scope of these posts so as not to ignore the elephant in the room — the pachyderm with the high blood sugar.

But here’s the deal: I won’t abandon dog fashion altogether if you promise not to post comments with an angel dog avatar.

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Dog Dressing and Sumo Wrestling

By Edie Jarolim | Published: May 25, 2009

I promised more Japanese dog dressing and you don’t get outfits more elaborate than those worn by Tosa Inu.  The breed, which originated in the Tosa district on the Island of Shikoku, was created in the second half of the 19th century, when medium-sized Japanese hunting dogs were mixed with mastiffs, Great Danes and bull terriers, among other Western breeds. The result: A big, muscular fighter.

Or should I say wrestler. Tosa Inu fights, which still take place in Japan, are a far cry from pit bull battles. For one thing, they’re legal. For another, no blood, teeth, or even growling are involved; the fight ends as soon as any aggressiveness is displayed. Just like the sumo wrestlers to whom they’re often compared, the dogs work to overbalance each other and pin each other to the ground. For more detail, see the Bulldog Information link on Dog Breeders of the World, which is also the source of the picture.

The dogs wrestle naked (similar to sumos) but the winners wear really swell ceremonial clothes.

The winner!

The winner!

Here’s a Tosa Inu just relaxing in a sporty outfit, ready to play in the snow.

Tosa Taro from Matsu Kennel

Tosa Taro from Matsu Kennel

Also posted in Special occasion couture | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Greyhound chic

By Edie Jarolim | Published: May 19, 2009

I admit it. I have a soft spot for greyhounds. My  friend Karyn is a tireless advocate for them, and through personal acquaintance with her pups, Painter (see April 25 post) and Lily, I’ve come to appreciate how funny and sweet tempered they are,  no matter what curves –  especially those on race tracks –  life throws them. So here’s another birthday picture, this one of Lily on her 10th.

Carmen Mirandog, photo by Diana Hansen

Carmen MiranDog, photo by Diana Hansen

The Italian greyhound in the more elaborate floral hat is also a rescue, though not one with whom I’m personally acquainted. I found the picture on Etsy, a great shopping site devoted to handcrafted items of all kinds, including pet clothing.  They even ran a survey on who is more fashionable, cats or dogs. Guess who won?

Design and photo by Hatz4Bratz

Design and photo by Hatz4Bratz

Lots of people think greyhounds are nervous and skittish. I hope these pictures help dispel that notion. A dog’s got to be pretty mellow to wear that headgear. Lily looks like she’s reveling in the attention.

I’m for breaking down breed prejudices, so if anyone has pictures of clothed pitbulls, rottweilers, dobermans and other so-called dangerous dogs, please send them to me. The outfits don’t have to be elaborate. A rakish bandana or some tasteful footwear will do.

Also posted in Handcrafted dog clothing, Special occasion couture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Do you dress your dog? A poll

By Edie Jarolim | Published: May 14, 2009

Admit it. You’re dying to weigh in on this question.

View Results

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Also posted in Functional dog clothing, Special occasion couture | Tagged | 1 Comment