Summer in Brooklyn has arrived. You know what this means. It means early mornings rushing off to catch the L train in the sweltering summer sun, smiling bearded faces as they clutch their iced Doppios and French(ish) pastries, dodging seasonal joggers trying to get that last minute “beach bod” ready, bikers in spandex, and dogs, lots and lots of dogs. Seriously, they are everywhere. I accidentally tripped on one outside my apartment yesterday.
About the dog thing, I’m certainly NOT complaining because who doesn’t love to see a dog walker being pulled every which way by a pack of high energy, mix-matched dogs! A favorite pastime of mine is to stop and pet every single one until I notice the eye roll which means it’s time to move right on along.
It is pretty safe to say that dogs win summer. They can frolic around outside all day—eating flowers, chasing birds, peeing on every single wall/tree/sign/other dog they want while their owners slave the day away in over air-conditioned offices stacked on top of one another. They don’t need to worry about that summer bod, or armpit sweat, or getting an awkward sunburn that will have your boss question your maturity level (real adults KNOW how to apply sunscreen evenly, c’mon).
One thing I have noticed that is definitely a thing now is dogs are no longer naked. The other day I brought my dog to Mccarren Park and felt like I was standing in the middle of an elementary school’s recess, or in the kitchen of a WeWork office. By this, I mean I could count the number of plaid button down shirts on more than one hand. It was pretty adorable but eye opening to say the very least. I could judge by the lack of interaction going on between my normally overly social dog and the others that he felt a bit inferior to these stylish fur-human creatures, maybe even slightly embarrassed that his owner did not think to pick out his plaid shirt for the day (what can I say I am an unfit mother). It was so bad at one point I seriously considered vocalizing something along the lines of, “Dogs in plaid these days! Am I right?” just to see the reaction I would get.
As I sat there while my confused pup tried to salvage his manhood, I decided to quickly google pet fashion and found what I think may be the cutest (but also most ridiculous) company to ever exist, called Wagdrobe (like Wardrobe but for animals with tails, hence the WAG part). Their Instagram is a fun curation of photos of pets in full on head to toe outfits, including ridiculously cute items such as princess crowns, hair bows, suspenders, aviator glasses, Hawaiin T shirts, cardigans, jeans, etc. Upon further inspection I realized that Wagdrobe is akin to a pet styling service, so you choose a favorite style (they have super girlie styles and then you have your preppy or hipster styles), then you type in your pet’s info and leave the rest up to the “pet stylists”. I am not one to try out surprise boxes, but this one starts at only $25, so I gave it a try and ordered Bowie a “Hipster Hound” Wagdrobe box because he is a Brooklyn man after my own heart.
I completely understand that not everyone will agree with my decision to succumb to peer pressure and dress my dog up this summer, but hey, this is the year 2016 and I just ordered a multi-colored cronutagel (a donut/croissant/ bagel hybrid) with frosting cream cheese and sprinkles and called that breakfast. It’s time to get weird with the rest of the world and I cannot wait to see what the pet stylists pick out for Bowie!
