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I Started scrolling fordog christmas costumes” A few weeks ago – and I wasn’t quite sure why. Until now, I’ve always resisted the temptation to dress my 11-year-old Golden RetrieverMuggles, in silly festive attire like a pull-on elf hat.
I admit, I’ve always secretly wanted to get her a Gucci reversible corduroy pet coat worth £570, but I didn’t want to make her the laughingstock of the neighborhood by dressing her in a humorous reindeer pet costume, a Santa hat with an elastic chin strap, or matching family Christmas PJs. It seemed very useless.
So far. As I dropped off Muggles for his biennial groom at Love My Human, the luxury pet shop on London’s King’s Road, which is a regular haunt. James Middleton’s And where he sells his freeze-dried raw dog food, I had a change of heart.
It was the sight of all those soft alpaca dog Christmas jumpers – and Santa bandanas – that made it happen. As I sat at their dog café a few doors down waiting for muggles, aimlessly looking at the dog menu featuring “loaded” puppucinos, beef wellingtons and dog ice cream, I thought to myself, “Go ahead, it’s Christmas. Why not?”
The question was could I get her ready for Christmas Day – but would it be in an attractive way?
I went back to the shop and got her a wonderfully soft alpaca knit with a snowman design (from £52.50), a fabulous crocheted Christmas tree hat (from £35), and a traditional large red velvet festive Christmas bow (from £18.50).
I added a fresh seafood shrimp toy to complete her Christmas-themed outfit. I wanted it to look subtle and sophisticated, not artificial.
As soon as Muggles returned from the grooming parlor upstairs looking like a fluffy white teddy bear instead of his usual matted, dirty sheepish look, I dressed him up for Christmas. From that point on, wherever I went, people stopped us on the street and said, “Oh, he’s cute,” and “Look at him, how cute!”
Then I took her to meet my children, nine-year-old Lola and seven-year-old Liberty. Her entire school was fascinated by her Christmas outfit. He commanded attention and seemed happily at ease. As soon as we got home I took off her jumper so she wouldn’t overheat, and even cut a few stitches around the neck so it was looser for her.
But according to PETA this is not right. Animal rights charity recently criticized Channel 4 show The Game of Wool: Britain’s Best Weaver, Former Olympic diver Tom Daly said dressing dogs in knitted clothes was at risk of causing them “discomfort and stress”.
In the hit show’s episode – “The Dog Apparel Challenge”, contestants had to create “iconic” but “practical” two-piece doggie outfits in 12 hours for two Italian greyhounds, who then modeled their new knitwear. The outfits included a neon orange coat and matching pom-pom hat, an rainbow sparkly coat and gold unicorn hat, a tailored red coat with a yellow and black beret, and a pink and white striped number with a royal crown.
Disgusted viewers online expressed their “disappointment” at Daly for getting involved in such an offensive project. One viewer said, “As if any self-respecting, animal-caring dog owner would dress their dog in these completely impractical outfits.”
Alyssa Allen, PETA’s vice president of programs and operations, told Channel 4: “Sheep are the only animals that should wear wool.” Campaigners also clarified that “natural, biodegradable plant wool” should be used instead of real wool as the production of any animal-derived material, including wool, involves animal suffering and exploitation.
Allen then explained, “Dogs are not dolls, they are whole, intelligent individuals who should be respected.” mail on sunday“Putting clothes on them for our entertainment makes them ridiculous, lesser human beings,”
Dressing a dog is only acceptable when “keeping them warm or dry” is truly in their best interests. He said: “Clothes can irritate dogs, and cause them discomfort, stress and confusion”.
But surely this is harmless fun as long as the dog doesn’t mind it, and they don’t overheat? Sure I wouldn’t stick my dog in a ridiculous personalized pet cape with pom poms that means he can barely walk, but a fun festive coat? Why not? I’m not the only one who wants my dog to join in the Christmas fun. The pet fashion industry is booming, and it’s driven by consumers who see their pets as family members, just like I do.
The global pet clothing market was worth approximately £4.12 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach more than £5.52 billion by 2030. King Charles has launched his own range of tweed jackets for dogs made exclusively at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk and crafted from Sandringham Royal Tweed with a brown collar and belt.
I’m not the only one who wants to dress up their dog in festive clothes. The pet fashion industry is booming, and it’s driven by consumers who see their pets as family members, just like I do.”
The current M&S x Bella Freud collaboration, which also includes a lambswool blend dog jumper with the “Best Friend” slogan on the back, is a nod to the designer’s trademark “1970s” jumper and brings a new cool-dog level to canine fashion.
And these days, bonding with your dog is just as fun as it is with your mini-me baby in trotters. That’s why Next sells matching chocolate brown Fair Isle knitted Christmas dog jumpers (£18) so you can co-ordinate with them.
Dogs are more than loyal companions. We give them blueberry facials, feed them special diets, and a recent study showed that 54 percent of dog owners consider their dog a pseudo-child.
On many levels, this has always been the case for me. The Mughals were like a surrogate child; When I met him, I was desperate for a baby and was in the process of IVF. When he was a puppy, I used to sing lullabies to him and carry him around in a bag.
And like many other dog parents, I suffer from the same “mom guilt” as “dog guilt,” when I feel like I’m not giving him the attention he deserves. A degree of anthropomorphism is not a bad thing. But the changing landscape of dog-owner relationships means we often attribute things to our dogs that are merely projections of us – not how the dog actually feels.
While the Muggles seem happy to be wearing the Christmas jumper, I also know that they have no idea why there is such a fuss about it. And he looks especially cute in the reindeer costume I bought. The brown cotton custom-made dog hoodie with cute horns felt a little less restrictive than the jumper – and was easy to wash.
As their buck, I can’t walk down the street without wanting to take selfies with people. The Mughals look adorable in their new festive attire. But once Christmas is over, he’s going back to plain old Muggles and I’ll love him just the same.