Some people do indeed dress up their dogs because they think it's cute, I'm sure. I've seen the dog halloween costumes and all that and I find it to be quite ridiculous personally. However, there is a real reason to put a sweater on them sometimes. I own a chihuahua and her fur isn't as thick as some dogs might be, I assume because they're meant to live it mostly hot climates (Mexico). For example, her tummy basically has no fur on it at all. I've read in a chihuahua care book that as a general rule if its around 40 degrees or colder and you're taking them outside, it's best to have a sweater on them. I don't get too carried away with it, for me it's purely functional. She hates wearing clothes at all, even just as much as a collar, so I generally let her be free of them whenever possible. So anyway, my point is, don't assume all of us with a dog in a sweater are pathetic weirdos trying to pretend our dogs are our kids, some dogs just get cold!
