Do Small Dogs Make Fabulous Fashion Accessories?

Who can forget Paris Hilton and her ‘handbag dog’ or Reese Witherspoon as Elle in Legally Blonde with her cute little Chihuahua in his woolly sweater? Images like these sparked a massive explosion in small dogs as fashion accessories. Where celebrities go, the rest of us follow, and handbag dogs are no exception.

Celebrity Dogs

The media is highly influential, so following the release of Men in Black back in 1997, sales of pugs rocketed. Legally Blonde had much the same effect on sales of Chihuahuas. These days pugs and Chihuahuas have fallen out of favor somewhat and French Bulldogs are now more popular, but take a look around any high profile fashion show and you are bound to see a beautiful person carrying a designer handbag with a cute little dog peeking out. But do small dogs make fabulous fashion accessories or would you be better off with a Mulberry handbag full of makeup instead?

Dog Ownership is a Huge Responsibility

Small dogs are very cute, but they come with their own set of problems. A lot of people assume a toy breed of dog such as a Maltese or a Pomeranian will be a lot easier to look after than a big breed such as a Labrador or Springer Spaniel. In part this is true since small dogs eat less and don’t need as much exercise, but in all other aspects, the costs and time required to ensure your dog is cared for adequately are the same.

The Perils of Dog Ownership

You can’t leave a dog alone for more than four hours; it simply isn’t fair on them. Dogs can also be highly destructive, especially if you leave them home alone for extended periods of time. With this in mind, you need to decide whether there is room in your life for a dog.

• Do you work full-time? If the answer is yes, are you willing to pay for your pet to go to doggy day care or can you work from home?
• Do you travel regularly? It can be expensive to put a dog in kennels for a week and if you are fond of spontaneous weekends away, there might not be any space at the kennels for your pet.
• Can you afford to take care of a dog? Toy breeds of dogs can be fussy eaters and you may have to buy more expensive pet food to keep him happy. Many small breeds have also been overbred and come with a range of genetic defects, which cause all kinds of health problems. Cue big vet bills unless you buy from a reputable breeder.

Once you have made the decision that a small dog is right for your family, be sure to check out the dorkie puppies for sale at LittlePuppiesOnline.com. Do remember, however, that toy breeds of dog may be little, but they often have a big dog’s attitude and can be rather feisty. So make sure you train your new BFF and don’t carry him around in a designer handbag unless you are certain he won’t have any ‘accidents’.