A very pampered pooch

IT'S A DOG'S LIFE:It's not just about humans this Christmas. From little treats to Swarovski collars, you can spoil the animal in your life, writes FIONOLA MEREDITH

HE DAYS OF lavish Christmas spending may be gone, but it seems that when it comes to our dogs, we just can’t resist spoiling them. Pet shops and online dog boutiques are full to bursting with every imaginable kind of seasonal treat. Dog clothes – from sensible traditional tartan coats to diamante-trimmed Santa outfits – are proving particularly popular this year. I took my dog Rudi and his friend Rico – both lively two-year-old dalmatians – on a special trip to the warehouse of one of Ireland’s top online dog outfitters, Urban Pup, to check out the Christmas collection.

Most of Urban Pup's range is designed for the smaller customers: chihuahuas, terriers, shih tzus and the like. But owner Denis Kelly was able to provide a pair of red T-shirts, complete with festive logos, in dalmatian size, as well as two delightfully flamboyant red velvet and Swarovski crystal collar and lead sets. The collars – one of Urban Pup's biggest sellers, costing £34.95 (€40) – are similar to a specially-made emerald green collar worn by Toto the dog in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical production of The Wizard of Ozat the London Palladium.

Rudi and Rico are more accustomed to romping wildly through muddy fields, but they seemed pleased to appear pampered and glamorous – at least for one afternoon. They even sampled some of Urban Pup’s special organic dog perfume (£14.95/€17.50), which comes in six scents, including lavender, candyfloss and sweet jasmine, and left the warehouse smelling appreciably better than they normally do.

If you have a small dog with a taste for fashion, the possibilities are endless. Urban Pup offers cosy snowflake-patterned sweaters and hoodies, and harnesses emblazoned with the words “Santa beware, I bite”, all starting from £12.95 (€15). If you feel like splashing out, a Christmas hamper (£58.95/€70) contains a range of Urban Pup’s most popular items, including a luxury white toggle ski-parka and a leather diamante collar and bone charm.

Denis Kelly, who ships his pet products across the world, says that the vast majority of buyers are women in the 18 to 35 age bracket, and that business has more than doubled in the past month as they stock up on Christmas accessories for their dogs. His customers range from Italian model Danila Gangemi and her pet chihuahua, who often features in photo shoots, to a housebound elderly woman who sees buying gifts for her dog as a way of paying him back for all the pleasure he gives her. “There’s been a change in people’s perceptions of dogs,” says Kelly. “Years ago, the dog was kept in a shed at the bottom of the garden. Now they’re one of the family, and people just love to spoil them.”

Claire Lanigan, who runs Molly’s, a pet boutique in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin that also sells online, says that buying Christmas treats for the dog is a way for families feeling the pinch to cheer themselves up. “You don’t have to spend a huge amount of money. It’s a nice, inexpensive pick-me-up, an affordable treat. Or, for some people, Christmas is an opportunity to buy their pet a nice winter coat which they will then use year after year.”

Molly’s has a furry, paw-shaped Christmas stocking for €6.99, a chewable Santa toy for €16.99, and a cute fur-trimmed harness for €28. For those who want to spend more, there’s a pink Christmas-stocking-style sleeping bag, by Juicy Couture, for €99.

Brown Thomas in Dublin has a special walk-in kennel (for humans that is!) filled with luxurious items in its Marvel Room display of Christmas gifts. Director Shelley Corkery says that its cute knitted bones and other soft toys have been flying off the shelves. No holly motifs or Santa hats here: choose instead from elegantly simple dog beds by London dog outfitters Mungo & Maud, available in shades of pale grey, cream or pink (€195), or a minimalist hand-embroidered dog cushion (€145). There’s an opulent striped leather dog collar by Paul Smith at €95, and a ceramic dog bowl with rainbow-coloured trim, also by Paul Smith, for €60. And there are a range of dog shampoos at €15 each, to make sure your pet is smelling as well as looking glorious at Christmas.

It doesn’t have to be all about clothes and accessories though – which, after all, are really a treat for the owners more than the dogs. If your dog feels a little left out when everyone else is filling their glasses at Christmas, why not buy him a bottle or two of dog beer? The drink, which comes in an authentic-looking brown glass bottle, is traditionally brewed from hops and barley, but with the alcohol and gas taken out, and a little meaty flavouring added. It is available from petworlddirect.ie.

If you really want to spoil your pet, you could order a few packs of healthy dog biscuits from Scallywags, a specialist Dublin bakery, all made with ingredients fit for human consumption. You can choose from savoury oat and Parmesan flavour munchies, wheat-free barley bites and low-fat rye crunch biscuits. But Ciaran Doran of Scallywags says the runaway favourite is peanut butter cookies. Prices start at €3.50.

It seems that most family dogs won’t go short this Christmas. But when you’re laying in the treats, why not spare a thought for those that don’t have a festive stocking or a diamante collar to call their own. A €20 gift certificate from the ISPCA will ensure that 10 homeless dogs will enjoy a good meal on Christmas day, along with all the rest of us.

See urbanpup.com, mollys.ie, scallywags.ie, petworlddirect.ie, ispcashop.ie, brownthomas.ie