Is it cruel to make your pet wear clothes?

I think it depends on the pet. My dachshund had a whole wardrobe. He loved to wear his clothes and got excited every time he saw a new clothes come out of bag. He had a glow in the dark vest for his night time walks and enjoyed wearing as much as taking a walk. If we needed to take off his clothes , we had to be careful because sometime he would snap at us. Putting on a sweater or shirt would change his attitude and put a bounce in his step and an extra wag in his tail.

Now if you have to fight you pet to dress him or it is clear they just do not like wearing clothes it is a bit cruel.

In my personal opinion, animals do not look any better wearing clothes and I do not really understand why someone would make them wear clothes. However, I do not believe that making your pet wear clothes is cruel unless you make them wear clothes in extreme situations.

For example, if you were to make your dog wear heavy wool clothes and then take them outside when its very hot outside, I would see that as cruel. However, in the other extreme, clothes can help sometimes, if you are taking your dog into very cold temperatures, maybe giving them some clothes could help keep them warmer and more comfortable. And also there is another extreme of making your dog wear a ridiculous amount of clothes for the sake of 'fashion' or entering them in contests.

However, in the general case, making your pet where clothes is often unnecessary and not a good use of time, regardless of whether or not it seems like a good idea or something which you should be doing.

Sorry but I am not a lover of having to dress up ones pet. An animal is an animal not a substitute child or a piece of dress decoration as a woman would wear a piece of bling. I doubt that it bothers the animals that much unless it hinders movement, none-the-less, for me a big no no.

I think it says something about the owner, like they might have issues of some sort. You always see empty-nesters dressing their "babies", aka little dogs. The animals usually look so uncomfortable.

On the other hand, I think a nice hanky around the neck can be a great accessory for a pooch.

I do believe it depends on the animal and the weather as well. I've heard people say their dog really loves wearing a sweater, and if that's the case I guess go for it. There are of course legit reasons to put them in a sweater sometimes, I've read that if it's around 40 degrees or below it's best to have a chihuahua in a sweater when you're taking them outside. I do this for my dog, she has very little fur on her tummy for example, I'm sure it'd be quite chilly for her. However, I know she otherwise can't stand being in clothes, if I put a sweater on her in the house she tries to dig down into blankets frantically, which doesn't make much sense to me. She even shakes her head around if she has to wear a collar. Since I have a fenced in yard, she mostly goes outside there, so I barely ever make her wear anything since I know she hates it so much. So that being said, if your dog hates it and you're dressing them up constantly, I think it is a bit cruel.

I don't like it personally, I think it makes them look ridiculous and is often uncomfortable for them. My dogs would curl up in a blanket by their own choice if they were cold. They would always try and squirm out of any clothes my sister would try and put on them. I don't blame them as it was probably tight and restricted their movement.

I did hear that there was some sort of comfort blanket sweater thing you could put on dogs to calm them down during storms though - not sure how effective it was though.

I guess it depends. Clothes definitely aren't meant for dogs and other pets. Although, I can understand dressing your not so furry dog in something warm when it's below freezing outside.

Hmm I think neck scarves or neck accessories/small hats that don't cover the ears ought to be the extent of it except coats for cold weather. Cats in particular usually have really thick fur especially in the winter so they're fine in the snow for a while as long as they have a warm snow-less place to come back to.

I don't know much about dogs tho. We've never had dogs and when I met my boyfriend they only have cats and still only have cats.

I feel similarly, that clothes for cuteness purposes are demeaning and just not nice. I do get clothes for practical purposes though. Doggie coats for winter walkies just makes sense. I would feel terrible if my dog got sick or started shivering because its core temperature dropped too much during a walk.

In a similar vein, I knitted my cat a little sweater to wear when she sits in the windows in the winter time. Is it cute? Oh my goodness, yes. But its there so that she can sit in the window and watch the birds without having to rub against the radiator every ten minutes or so to warm up. She's not hugely fond of it, but on really cold days, she brings it out for me to put it on her

I don't force her to wear it if she doesn't want to, though. I also made sure that it would be easy for her to take it off herself, which she usually does immediately after window time.

On the other hand, I have heard stories about animals that actually like their clothes. My mom's old boss had a dog that would bring out the outfits she wanted to wear pretty regularly. I suppose if the animal genuinely enjoys it, its okay.

However, most animals don't like it, and the clothes are there only to satisfy the human urge to anthropomorphize everything. And that, I can't get behind.

No, I don't think its anymore cruel than all those times when you were a baby and your folks would make you wear those awful one piece suits or costumes with bunny ears or tail. Parents did it for their own amusement and I get the same joy out of putting a hideous Christmas sweater on Oscar in Decemeber- just to see him react while trying to pull it off.

Any kind of scarf or ribbon around the neck is a big fat NO though.