Pugs and Costumes

For some reason, pugs and costumes go together. Few owners seem able to resist the temptation to dress up their lap dogs like a Muffy Bear or baby doll. For example, a photo of two unhappy-looking pugs, each wearing a hot dog bun, one topped with mustard, the other with ketchup, made the Internet rounds a while back with the caption, "Why Dogs Kill Their Owners." Then there was the gruff pug wearing the "I (heart) New York" T-shirt in the movie "Men in Black." At our local Pug Meet-up's Halloween party, there were pugs in Hawaiian shirts, frilly skirts, a miniature Jedi knight costume and two pugs in yellow and back stripes, who kept circling Puggo and the giant artificial rose tied to the back of his halter as though they were real bees and he a real flower. A month later, a girl pug wearing a lobster costume attracted Puggo's attention, although I doubt he's ever tasted crustacean.

Not that Judith is immune to the temptation to doll up her dog. In addition to the flower, Puggo has had to endure a cowboy hat (with holes cut for his ears), a Superman cape, and booties designed to protect his feet from the snow and ice. As a tiny puppy in Boston, he was dressed in a cut-off sweatshirt sleeve, which at least kept him warm. But as a mature male, he strongly feels that wearing clothing is beneath his dignity. Judith, however, does insist that he wear his red harness around his chest, not only while on the leash but off it as well; her rather flimsy excuse is that it's easier to grab him by the harness when he wanders into the neighbors' yards than it is to catch him bare naked.

Oh well, at least she doesn't make him wear a bonnet-- or a hot dog bun.