Pets: Fit for a Dog

Pets, by definition, are for petting, but sometimes even the most ardent member of the A.S.P.C.A. must feel like blowing the whistle. Where once the North American dog had to beg for his supper and sleep outdoors on the welcome mat, now he is stuffed with Gaines Burgers, sprayed with Kennel No. 5, given the softest living-room sofa, and dolled up in costumes that should make Lassie hide her tail between her legs.

When it rains, dog owners across the country are putting paws in rubber boots. If it snows, dogs emerge swaddled in thick, furry coats with even thicker sweaters. And for just padding around the house, some pooches sport ermine-tail coats that run up to $1,000. Dean White, executive director of the Institute for Human-Animal Relationship, calculates that U.S. dog fanciers spent no less than $450 million on dog accessories last year. And the figure is likely to mount higher, if the Canine Couture show held at Manhattan’s Barbetta Restaurant last week is any indication.

Timed to coincide with Madison Square Garden’s annual Westminster Kennel Club Show, the high-fashion dog show focused on celebrities’ pups. Porgie Cassini, Columnist Igor’s beagle, showed the crowd a few pointers in a $10 tight-fitting white knit turtleneck. Rufus Cass, a Cavalier King Spaniel owned by Comedienne Peggy Cass (To Tell the Truth), trotted out in a snappy Garbo trench coat and green velvet beret designed for Special Farces. Mimi and Camille Henderson, Skitch’s miniature poodles, sported twin $150 red mole coats that were belted at the waist, and Buffee Gore, Singer Lesley Gore’s poodle, hit a high note with a vicuna snow suit with red trim.

For backyard barbecues, Jayne Mansfield’s Chihuahua, Popsicle, modeled a chef’s outfit complete with a cap stenciled “Hot Dog”; for resort beach wear, Model Jane Waiting’s dachshund took a few turns around the floor with a black lace bikini bottom and a purple beach robe with yellow trim. Really putting on the dog was Designer Ursula Lehnhardt, who wrapped her poodle Peppy in white mink and a collar studded with black dice, and Designer Larry Reiter, who dressed his wolfhound Czarina in silver lame and his whippet Isis in a $250 wild marabou coat dyed in bands of blue, purple, pink and orange.