Exercise Your Crazy!

I’m sure almost all pet lovers have had the itch to dress them up at some time in their lives?? Come On…tell the truth!! We don’t need any fancy reason to get them into human clothes to torture and embarrass them, but it doesn’t hurt !

My dressing up my dogs was only for their well being, really! Like the rain coat’s or the little winter coats I’ve made to keep them warm and dry when they play in the snow or walk in the rain, the T-Shirts were for….um…keeping them from getting mosquito bites and sunburn?? Ok, ya got me there!

I remember when I was a kid and putting doll clothes on my cat’s, that was hilarious! They would go stiff as a board and fall over, it was so funny! I guess I was honing my sick sense of humor quite young!

Recently I saw an ad in the paper about the towns ” 3rd Annual Spring Pet Parade” Costumes Optional”! Well, I guess I was bored as I imagined my 20 lb sack of spuds looking like a St. Bernard or it was just my longing for a large dog, either way hubby and I (he’s the idea guy, I’m the designated do’er) hatched a plan to make my Shitzu into a Mini St. Bernard! So I looked up a photo of a Swiss Rescue Dog, rum barrel and all and got to work!

We used 2 fruit cup containers, gluing them together and painting them to look like a barrel, and then painting on the Swiss shield, they worked perfectly! Then came the over the back rescue satchel, hmm… what can I use?? I couldn’t find any red clothes or material but dug out a pretty, brand new, never used table runner, lace and tassels included! I folded all the lacy edges and tassels in, pinned them in to fit around my spud sack (Buggz). I then got to work on a white first aid cross, pinning it to the table runner, but the costume just didn’t seem complete. I found a photo of a Swiss rescue dog wearing a Swiss fedora. Perfect! I borrowed a few Budgie feathers from my bird and used some scrap paper and just stapled it all together. Off we go to the Pet Parade!

There weren’t many people with their pets but those that showed up were pumped to show them off! I brought my camera, batteries just recharged but I couldn’t get it to work, I was choked! Oh Well, we’ll have fun anyways! White Pit-bulls and Poodles wearing Too-Too’s, pink toe nails and purple hearts stenciled on their coats, little purple dress’s and spring outfits on other dogs, a lady with a 23 yr. old cat, a couple of Parrots, a Huge Rabbit and even a Sheep attended!

With my wonderful people skills I even was able to tick someone off! I guess you can say I laughed in their face but…they were so gullible I couldn’t help myself! A gentleman with a little black poodle that was very friendly came up to us to say hello, he asked what my dog was dressed up as, first thinking he was just a First Aid dog, “No, No”, I said ” he’s a Mini St.Bernard!” He seemed surprised and replied” Really?, How big will he grow?”, I couldn’t contain my laughter, I replied ” He’s a Shitzu’!! He looked at me indignantly and walked away, never to come near us again! Ha! (I’m sorry, but it was funny!). Every one received a prize, no favorites, (except mine of course) we walked away with a nice new spring dish towel! Not bad for being a crazy pet owner! Now excuse me while I go change my dogs underwear!