Everybody’s crazy about a sharp-dressed dog

Our dog Jack is ruined — this is no secret. He is a pup who is treated more like a human, and a ridiculously spoiled human at that.

When it is said that pets should be treated as a member of the family, I always suggest that in our family, we all strive to be treated as good as our pooch. He’s got it knocked with five people catering to his every whim.

We can’t help ourselves; he’s a great doggie. So what if he messes up a perfectly made bed to crawl under the covers in protest of his new winter haircut? Clearly that is our fault for not considering he might actually like his thick, long fur coat when the temperatures are below zero.

Then there’s the mess of gravy he leaves on the floor around his bowl. It’s not his fault that he’s getting old and needs his dry food mixed with a wet stew that contains glucosamine for his aging hips. And it is most certainly our decision, not his, to blend the two with hot water to ensure he has a nice warm meal every day. Sure you know half that gravy is going to end up on the floor; the poor doggie can’t be blamed for that.

However, this week past we discovered that perhaps our fussing over the doggie has gone a little too far.

Jack is, for the most part, an indoor dog and rarely wears his collar. Now, we are fully aware that this is not a good practice. Anything could happen — he could get out

Hubby has been commenting lately, after nearly 13 years, that he feels perhaps Jack should be wearing a collar after all, not for identification purposes mind you, but because — get ready for it — he thinks our furry baby looks naked. True story, folks.

and become lost and no one who found him would know where he lives. But then we think about it and realize, this dog must know how good he’s got it, why the heck would he ever run away?

Hubby has been commenting lately, after nearly 13 years, that he feels perhaps Jack should be wearing a collar after all, not for identification purposes mind you, but because — get ready for it — he thinks our furry baby looks naked. True story, folks.

Even though Jack usually has on some sort of scarf, thanks to the groomer (who he generally loves but apparently not so much in the winter), that doesn’t seem to fit the bill. And we do have collars in the house for the off time Jack might like to exert some actual energy and go for a walk, but hubby determined that not only did Jack look naked, but that his wardrobe needed a makeover.

So, Friday past I came home to find not one, but three spanking new collars, still with the tags attached. It seems hubby found a sale and decided to do a little shopping. And so the fashion show ensued.

The blue collar apparently brings out Jack’s eyes. Uh huh, OK. The red collar is a good combination with his blonde and white fur. Of course. And the black collar? Well, clearly that one makes our 21-pound pup look tough.

Of course hubby was just having a little fun with that part of it. He bought three different colour collars because they were inexpensive, and he wanted to make sure there was always a decent-looking collar that was easy to find. The fashion show was all part of the foolishness.

So now our doggie no longer looks inappropriately dressed, or undressed as it were. And his Royal Highness Jack Tessier’s namesake proves to be deserved once again.