Published
03.July.2007

Celebrities Pets - A Fashion Craze Or True Love?

Today it seems the next best accessory to a monogram Louis Vuitton or a vintage Coco Channel quilt bag is the celebrity pooch. Famous people and their pets making news is nothing new. However, the idea of lugging their favourite pooches to events and premiers is quite outlandish even for the paparazzi crazed celebrities of today. Often celebrities will shell out thousands of dollars to dress there pet like them; complete with suits, jewelry and designer dog carriers.

"Pooch lugging" started hitting it's all time high in the year 2000. Stars like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton have made Chihuahua owning a fad and a must have adornment. Taking a hint from the amazing publicity, dog accessory manufacturers have shifted into fifth gear in churning out pet must-haves. The idea of dressing your pet dog in haute couture is not exclusively for the rich. Any pet owner has the option and choice to make their pooch, small dog breed or big dog breed, a fashionista.

Sure, dog shirts or dog dresses are old news. The addition of rain gear, party dresses in tulle and satin, doggy sneakers and designer wear is a far cry from those garments. Having celebrities promote the luxury of having purebred dogs makes good copy for promoting other dog accessories and services. Compared to the pet products available then, today's products have gone from being needed to being coveted. There are even cultured pearls grown for the sole purpose to make dog chokers and Swarovski crystals for collars and doggie clips that say "DIVA".

Not all celebrities are on the pet bandwagon for publicity purposes. There are actors and famous people who use their celebrity status to promote and protect man's best friend. Ex- MTV princess, Alicia Silverstone saved a bloodied pit bull mix named Samson from an anonymous alley. This dog is just one of her 5 rescued mutts. The actress has also put up a haven for unwanted pets. Orlando Bloom adopted a mutt in Morocco and brought the estranged dog back home. The kind-hearted deed didn't even escape the press during the news conference the actor had after the shooting.

Often times we overlook the ability of a celebrity to be capable of having a deep relationship with man's best friend. However, news like Matthew McConaughey sharing how much he mourned the loss of his Labrador-Chow mix breed (Ms. Hud) to cancer or how Shania Twain badly took the death of her German shepherd, make us understand that celebrities are people too. The idea of how someone so famous can mourn a dog's loss when they can afford to buy a new one is often overlooked and overshadowed by their celebrity persona.

In truth, celebrities fit the criteria of being great dog owners. It's not just the stellar power that they behold that makes them that. Celebrities are very dependent on their pet pooches as silent assurance that they are still real people. Most of the snapped shots of celebrities and their pets are when they try to do regular non-star activities like grocery shopping, strolling or while lounging at an exclusive resort.

As they say, being at the top can be lonely and sometimes pets are the best companions celebrities can have. In the sea of uncertain loyalty of an entourage, a celebrity can count on their pet dog to keep everything real.

Gladys Avery writes articles for the Pet Super Store. Pet Super Store specializes in dog beds and other pet accessories.