Cookie of Katonah

Cookie REALLY doesn’t like to get wet.  So her raincoat is  not as frivolous as one might think.

On Cookie’s very first vet visit at eight weeks old, when I was very much the anxious, first-time-dog mama without a clue, and it was still chilly outside, I earnestly asked her doctor if I should buy her any coats/sweaters/outerwear.  Our vet, a very practical lady, looked me straight in the eye and replied, “She’s a doggy.  She’ll be just fine.”  And so, I ceased to look at all the cute little doggy clothes, and instead focused my motherly love and dog dollars on more practical items…like bones!  But soon I discovered that our Cookie doesn’t care at all for getting wet.   While many dogs adore swimming in the pond and frolicking in the stream of water from a hose on a hot day, our puppy can barely tolerate walking on wet grass after a rain storm.  Never mind actual rain falling upon her.  We have tried to tempt her into a kiddie pool on blazing hot afternoons by putting her favorite toys in the middle for her to retrieve, and she just looks at us like we’re nuts.  One day, when I was watering our garden with Cookie nearby, I impulsively gave her a little spray, to which I received the one and only snappy bark I have ever received from her, period.  So when nature calls and it is raining outside, it wasn’t easy.  We would have to coax her outside  with multiple snacks, after which she would relieve herself, and then hurry back into the mudroom, crying to go back in the house.  The problem is, all her puppy energy didn’t disappear amid the rain – it would just stay pent up in her – making her our own puppy force of nature in the house.  Not good!  So one day, just for kicks, I bought this yellow doggie raincoat, with a hood and metalic reflector stripe down the back.  In addition to looking quite cute on her, it actually is waterproof, and guess what?  Cookie will let us take her for a walk, even in the pouring rain, when it is on.   And so folks, I’m here to say, raincoats, and other coats period, are not silly for dogs.  They’re rather sane!  Warm and Fuzzys, Diana

This entry was posted on July 26, 2012 at 9:13 pm and is filed under Canine Couture. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.