Anyone noticing a trend??

[Tiffany0204]

It seems like there's been alot of threads latley about negative portrayal of dogs in the media latley. From the Animal Planet show, to the Tyra Banks Show, Magazines now seem to be really jumping in the spotlight.

Personally I think it's celebrities that are the problem, but I stopped reading Glamour and Cosmo because of the article they put in about how dogs are the latest hot accessory, and how you don't even need to walk them or take them outside because you can either litter train or use the potty pads.

Now it looks like I"m going to be giving up People Magazine as well. I just got their latest issue, the one with Britney and Baby on the front. At the back it's got a "Thanks and No Thanks" area... where they canvassed celebrities as to what they were thankful for, and what they wern't thankful for.

Most of them were like "Thanks: Friends and family, No Thanks: Hurricane Katrina" and stuff like that, but this is where I had to shake my head.

Serena Williams - "Thanks: For my life, it isn't guaranteed. No Thanks - My bad dog - she poops everywhere"

Gabrielle Union - "Thanks - For the training camp where I send my two massive american bulldogs and my Maltese. I know I'm not ready for children because I'm like "Why can't I send kids there?"

Um....

No thanks for your "bad dog" because she "poops" everywhere? How about training your dog? What's the matter? Forgot that your accessory is a living, breathing animal that poops and pees? UUUUGH.

As for Gabrielle's comment, I mean at least she's training her dogs, but personally wouldn't it be better to attend the training yourself? It sounds like you can just send your dogs away and have someone else train them, but then they've formed the bond with that trainer, not with you.

Then in another article on Hilary Duff and her boyfriend Joel Madden, People asks him what the stupidest new trend is. Thankfully he responds with "Having dogs as the newest accessory" as to which his girlfriend Hilary Duff goes "Heeey!" because she has a chihuahua.

So many people look to celebrities for advice and style (I personally love reading these magazines to see what the latest styles are) but it seems like all of them are really jumping on the bandwagon of having small dogs as accessories. Looks like I will be writing a letter to People Magazine as well. Most of the time they're really good for their articles, but did they really have to put that Serena Williams comment in? I can't imagine anyone not being thankful for their pet lol, they're such a joy!

[D.Schäferhund]

Ok I need to be honest
I don't give a **** what popular people have do or what the newest trend is....
But i understand your concerns and I think you are right...
dogs as a accessoiry, well that is stupid, and needs no further comment.
Magazines are Magazines , they want to make money and I think a VIP person interviewer doesn't give a thing if a VIP can train his dog or not.
It is just sad for these people that they admit in that way that they are unable to care for a dog, not able to pottytrain or send them to a camp, atleast one of them understood that she isn't ready for kids-don't want to see that desaster- but she appearantly isn't ready for dogs either....

[Raised By Wolves]

It seems to me that what I see via the media is getting sadder by the minute. I see so much there, which is all about external self esteme, shallow self involvement, greed, and a kind of voyeristic sickness represented by all of those less than reality, reality shows.

The obsession with watching people have emotional outbursts, eat disgusting sludge, perform life threatening "stunts", and abuse each other, reminds me of an old Star Trek episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion".

This is the one were the original beings of a planet were reduced to these little pulsating brains, placing bets on battles between captured people from other planets. "I'll wager 1000 kuatloos on the newcomers!". Well, kuatloos aren't of much use when you're just a brain, so obviously they were nothing but "gambling" addicts.

In the end Kirk wins a bet with them and gets them to put their brainpower to the betterment of the beings they had captured.

"Everything I ever needed to know, I learned from Star Trek!" is a poster I have on a door in the music studio. It always reminds me that the premise of the show was about exploration and discovering how to better ourselves...oh yeah, and making sure Jim Kirk usually "got" the girl, and a new one every week to boot. Oh well, even back then they had marketing people.

Note: Tiffany0204 brought up an important topic, and I am not making an attempt to hijack it and turn it into a Star Trek episode discussion. We can always start another thread for that!

[Mightymite]

Originally Posted by Tiffany0204

It seems like there's been alot of threads latley about negative portrayal of dogs in the media latley. From the Animal Planet show, to the Tyra Banks Show, Magazines now seem to be really jumping in the spotlight.

Personally I think it's celebrities that are the problem, but I stopped reading Glamour and Cosmo because of the article they put in about how dogs are the latest hot accessory, and how you don't even need to walk them or take them outside because you can either litter train or use the potty pads.

Now it looks like I"m going to be giving up People Magazine as well. I just got their latest issue, the one with Britney and Baby on the front. At the back it's got a "Thanks and No Thanks" area... where they canvassed celebrities as to what they were thankful for, and what they wern't thankful for.

Most of them were like "Thanks: Friends and family, No Thanks: Hurricane Katrina" and stuff like that, but this is where I had to shake my head.

Serena Williams - "Thanks: For my life, it isn't guaranteed. No Thanks - My bad dog - she poops everywhere"

Gabrielle Union - "Thanks - For the training camp where I send my two massive american bulldogs and my Maltese. I know I'm not ready for children because I'm like "Why can't I send kids there?"

Um....

No thanks for your "bad dog" because she "poops" everywhere? How about training your dog? What's the matter? Forgot that your accessory is a living, breathing animal that poops and pees? UUUUGH.

As for Gabrielle's comment, I mean at least she's training her dogs, but personally wouldn't it be better to attend the training yourself? It sounds like you can just send your dogs away and have someone else train them, but then they've formed the bond with that trainer, not with you.

Then in another article on Hilary Duff and her boyfriend Joel Madden, People asks him what the stupidest new trend is. Thankfully he responds with "Having dogs as the newest accessory" as to which his girlfriend Hilary Duff goes "Heeey!" because she has a chihuahua.

So many people look to celebrities for advice and style (I personally love reading these magazines to see what the latest styles are) but it seems like all of them are really jumping on the bandwagon of having small dogs as accessories. Looks like I will be writing a letter to People Magazine as well. Most of the time they're really good for their articles, but did they really have to put that Serena Williams comment in? I can't imagine anyone not being thankful for their pet lol, they're such a joy!

Thank you for this wonderful post! This is a serious problem for the toy breeds and we are seeing more and more small dogs given up to rescue - many with physical problems because they have bred too small (common is tracheal collapse and liver shunt). People need to udnerstand that dogs are not here today, gone tomorrow. Perhaps, others will read this post and understand.
Please visit: and click on the link on the right hand side that says "about Teacups."

[Tiffany0204]

I wrote a letter to the editor saying how sad it was about Serena Williams comment, and asked if in the future they could do articles on the dangers of getting a dog as a "fashion accessory" and possibly promote the rescue organizations for people to get their dogs from. Haven't heard a reply, not sure if I will, but it's something I guess.

You would have been horrified at the Cosmo article Mightymite, all it did was show pictures of every toy breed and how they can fit in a purse, and how they don't need to be walked, and if you want to stay out "extra late" and party you can train them to go on puppy pads or litter boxes so you can stay out and not have to worry about "letting the dog out".

I was disgusted. I'm a toy breed fan myself (Giz is a Shih Tzu) and I shudder to think how many happen' trendy people got a toy breed after reading that article, because of how they made it seem like dogs don't need as much effort as one would orignially think.

To imply that a dog doesn't need to be let outside, or that it's okay to leave them for long periods of time is incredibly stupid. Especially the toy breeds! Isn't their main purpose to be a companion? Ugh, it makes me mad.

[shandoggy1]

I think it is ridiculous that people are using dogs as fashion accessories. Last I checked dogs were living breathing beings and I'm sorry, if you are going to own a dog that small enough to poop and pee in a litter box then get a cat! It's bad enough I have to scoop a cat box let alone a dog box. I think that it is laziness to train your dog to go in your house in a litter pan, personally I think it is a stupid idea and I would never do that. No offense to anyone that may go this route but wee wee pads and litter boxes are not for me

[gaddylovesdogs]

I heard Hilary Duff has three dogs she got from shelters...but now she gets a dog and uses it as an accessory because it's what's "in". I've never really liked her...she just seems so fake...but now I just REALLY don't like her. Why not be unique and support the adoption of animals, show people that owning pets is a big responsibility....

I wrote a letter to a magazine a couple of months ago...they had a litter article saying if you don't have a small dog to stuff in your purse, you're not in because all the "cool" celebrities do that and to go and get a small dog if you want to be "cool". I wrote them a letter and hoped they'd put it in their mag...of course they didn't because they don't want people to realize they're friggin' idiots...ugh I was SO mad.

[DaisySunshine]

I was in a locat pet supply store recently buying a sweater from my Daisy. Daisy in my own unbiased opinion is really cute. And yes, Daisy does wear sweaters and jackets. She is a dachsund/chihuahua mix with a very short coat and she only weight 9.8 lbs. She gets cold!

A girl walked by while I was trying a little jacket on Daisy and said,"aawww how cute. I want to get a little dog that I can carry around in a purse." What a good reason to get a dog!

Dogs are not fashion statements. Owning a dog is not like owning a pair of shoes. Dogs have physical and emotional needs that need to be taken care of for them to be happy. Their feet actually have to touch the ground!

My Daisy was a victim of this. I adopted her from a local animal group when she was 5 months old. Her first 'mother' was a teenage girl who wanted something cute to play with and then put away. According to Daisy's foster mother, Daisy had spent most of her life in a carrier. From the time she was 7 weeks old til a couple of weeks before I adopted her, she had been kept in a carrier. Daisy's foster mum, had to plead with the owners to give up Daisy. I don't think Daisy had ever been able to run and play like a puppy should. And definitely never socialized.

Can you imagine the kind of life Daisy would have had if she hadn't been given up for adoption? Now she has a house, a backyard, and 3 cats to manage. Plus a doting mother. But she doesn't ride in purse and she actually walks on mountain trails, albeit in sweater.


Bridgett

[gaddylovesdogs]

I don't think there is anything wrong with putting sweaters on dogs...my Colby is short-coated and in the winter she gets really cold. Until I can make or buy her a doggie coat, she's been wearing a hoodie of mine when we go on walks...it's a little to big for her so I have to roll up the sleeves and tie it under her belly LOL

[fluffypuppylover]

You have three types of celeb pet owners, the decent normal ones, the crazy ignorant ones like mentioned here who see them as an accessory, and the decent but way over the top ones.

I did a paper Pet Economics a year ago and it was outrageous what some people spend on their pet. Julia Roberts sends her dog to its own private groomer in its own private limo, Fred Durst drags his bulldog all over the country on his tour bus, a number of people hire chefs for their pets; chefs that put the pets on silly fad diets like their owners, and they hire pet psychics and trainers and therapists, and the toy breeds are decked out in designer clothes too.

Its nice they care, but its a bit over the top. Spend some time with your pet and it wouldn't need a driver or therapist.

[Tiffany0204]

^^^ I'm reminded of the Oprah show where she had Cesar Millian over to help her cocker spaniel Sophie to deal with separation anxiety issues.

I also don't think that just because one puts a coat on their dog is spoiling them. Some dogs need a winter coat because their own coats arn't sufficent enough when the cold weather hits. Well I guess it all goes to show that once you have money you can do all the nutty things you wished you could do :P

[PawNclaws]

I'm not against dressing up your dogs in a jacket or little sweaters either. We have one for Aj when it gets really cold(like now- its about 3 degrees out side). It keeps the dog warm and some times the dogs actually like it. But I hate it when people buy dogs for the wrong reason/s- its so sad to see these poor babies treated like a pair of shoes. If they want a dog that doesnt poop then get one of them robot dogs, they dont need any thing but batteries. This topic is very important and I hope that others see it too. Dogs are living breathing beings- they are not things. This is so frustrating, I'll be thinking about this topic all day long. When I look at Blackie I see some one who wanted to breed a toy breed for people who wanted an accessory. He weighs about 8lbs - he is small- and was in a cage(only god knows how long) untill we adopted him from that awful pet shop. You know one thing that got me was that she(the pet store owner) had a small, tiny Bichon in a cage. Now if the pup was old enought I wouldnt of minded since she had a bed(unlike the other puppies) but she was eating mush and had NO teeth. Guess what- she (the puppy) was only 5 weeks old. I'm like oh my gosh- Bichons arnt supposed to go to new homes untill 12 weeks of age. How can she be so crule- this puppy was so sweet. But she was cold and eating a smushy type mush that was brown or tan. But can you belive what that person did just to make it look like she was a small tea cup size. My uncle got tricked like that- they got a small chi cross and the breeder told them he was 8 weeks and would stay that tiny. Well guess what -wrong. I took alook and he wasnt 8 weeks but only 6 weeks and he did grow larger(bigger then blackie in hight and weight). He(the puppy) didnt know what to do, had NO shots, was tiny compared to now- just weened when they got him(they had to mush the dog food for him), and had a hard time potty training/training(although my aunt and uncle have no idea how to train anyway). So there you go- people just potray the tea cup size to make a quick hundred or thousand bucks. Most of the time I bet these stars are buying the puppies at the highest price thinking(like they do) that the more money it cost the better quaity it must be. Wrong- I know of some Labs from reputable breeders that are 50% less then the pet store or BYBs puppies. Same goes for the toys breeds. Just my thoughts....

[brandysmama]

Originally Posted by shandoggy1

I think that it is laziness to train your dog to go in your house in a litter pan, personally I think it is a stupid idea and I would never do that. No offense to anyone that may go this route but wee wee pads and litter boxes are not for me

Remember, not everyone lives in a dwelling where it's easy to get outside. I read an article about a man who trained his Yorkie to use the pee pads because they live way up in a NYC high-rise condo.

I don't use them either--but then again, I have a house with a yard.