#Dogs & fashion?

It is early Sunday morning and I am just back from a bike ride along the the sea front. It is a very quiet still morning out there today. The skies are heavy and dark grey but the very light drizzle almost mist is warm and enveloping. It is lovely.

As usual I am in my own little world of thought and something triggers a theme or comes together to create one.

This morning I saw a man with 3 little pug dogs on separate leads walking along the prom. (a slightly chaotic scene - ha!). Earlier this week I had read a news article talking about these little French or American Pug dogs?

The article explained how popular they have recently become but how problematic their health can be - particularly respiratory issues and skin problems. The thrust of the article was people should be more aware of these potential issues and questioning whether the dogs should actually be bred in the numbers they currently are - that almost it was cruel to do so. I have no idea if this is right or wrong.

However what I have observed over the last 6 months or so is a large increase in the number of these cute little dogs that I see on my bike rides. They have definitively become very popular.

That led me thinking about other dogs that used to be popular but I now see nothing like the numbers of out exercising. There was a stage when there were lots of the Pit Bull Staffie types. Now I hardly see them but there was definitely a time when they were the dog to have for some.

After the "Staffie" the fashion dog was a "Husky" type. They were around for a while but now you hardly see them. 

I assume both breeds were found to be challenging in a normal domestic setting and the fashion cooled off as the practicalities became apparent. It leads you wonder where these dogs are now? It is a real shame that the "dogs are for life and not just for christmas" truism does not seem to be widely appreciated and considered. Dogs seem to be not a lot more than a must have fashion accessory in some cases and people do not think through the implications behind ownership and the characteristics of dogs they are taking on. Fox red labradors are now selling like hot cakes. However there is concern about over breeding and inbreeding to meet demand and maintain the vital colour. Neither are apparently a positive thing in the prospect of producing and maintaining a healthy robust dog.

Certainly a lot of people have taken on a dog in the covid period. Hopefully a lovely thing. They have had time during the lockdown and dog walking fits in well when all we could do was exercise in our locality in relative isolation. Let's hope the dogs continue to be appreciated when people return to work and life becomes more "normal" again. 

Fox red Labrador have suddenly become very popular. The poor old yellow lab is no longer getting a look in! These are beautiful looking dogs but are they actually the right breed for you? Maybe - maybe not. Do you know their characteristics ? Have you thought it through?