I don’t think I could even count how often I have said or written that Gus, my five month old Boston Terrier, would NEVER wear clothes or sweaters, it seemed grotesque to me to put clothes on a dog.
Today, amidst the first frost warnings of the season, we put a blue fleece sweater on Gus.
For one thing, he has been shivering visibly outside, for another, Suzanne Fariello, my vet, gave me a stern talking to about Gus and sweaters in the winter. I huffed and puffed and told her that my dog would not ever wear sweaters, and she looked me in the eye, and said, “oh, but I’m afraid he will.
“Gus does not have the coat or body heat to withstand very cold days in upstate New York in the winter,” she said, “and you will absolutely get him a sweater.”
That was the end of the discussion.
If I were a balloon, you could hear the puncture all over the county, the air going out. “Okay,” I said meekly. I learned years ago, whether it was my broken heart or my broken life, to surround myself with strong women and do what they told me. My life has improved steadily ever since.
When a vet says that to me, there is no question that I will do it, and when a little dog shivers and shakes in the cold, there is no question about it either. I had this idea that it might be an unnecessary affectation by over protective people.
I was a bit of a snob about small dogs, and clung to this idea that they were all cosseted. Gus is definitely cosseted, that is the charm of the small dog, but he also gets cold in the winter, especially up here, and that is not cosseting, that is good and loving care.
This, of course, is one reason I wanted to get a small dog, I wanted to learn more about them, what they are really like, why they are so popular, what I can learn from having one. I have learned a lot, including the fact that I have a lot to learn and might be more cautious about making pronouncements I can’t keep. And I have more to learn.
This crunching you hear is the sound of crow being eaten. Go ahead and gloat.
One of the things I have learned is that dogs that size with a think coat do not have the protection from the cold of a heavy lab or thick-coated border collie.
So if he gets cold, he will need a sweater. And now he has two, a small and medium.
LOL, Jon! I have been waiting to see Gus in a sweater although you have stated no dog of yours would EVER wear one! No need to *eat crow*…… you have merely learned something firsthand. As I noted previously, I have several friends with Bostons and they ALL wear sweaters in cool months- they don’t have that undercoat that your other dogs have……… LOL, here in California, during extremely cold temps of winter (30’s) my friends Boston’s wear down vests! Get prepared for that! Isn’t Gus fun? Thank you for making me smile, or think, or both…every single day
Fond wishes
Susan M
OK, that is simply adorable…and of course, practical. 🙂 Jon, you made me laugh out loud with your balloon reference. I guess we all need to remind ourselves to ‘never say never’.
And I wonder how long it will be before Maria starts knitting the little guy sweaters? 😉
No, she doesn’t want to make dog art, I’ll browse online..I’ll find places..Lots of options..
This post made me smile – not just because Gus is simply adorable in every single photo you post, but because it really goes with the theme of many of your other posts on this blog that talk about not being rigid in one’s thinking. That’s such an important message in this day and age, and your writing has helped me many times with that issue.
And blue really is Gus’ color 😉
He looks very adorable yet “manly”in his little blue sweater.?
Jon,You have a special gift for photography and the objects that you are capturing for visual posterity-How did you manage to get Gus to stand still long enough while he is gazing at you with his grateful eyes,so as to get that cute picture? Thank you for sharing your moments,I live vicariously through them,hoping one day to be blessed with a magical,wonderful spouse as yours and a passionate Peaceable Kingdom,too-I am happy for you
Mostly, I make chicken noises..true..
First, Gus you look very handsome in your blue fleece. Real men wear fleece, Gus! (Make sure you tell Jon!)
Dr. Fariello, you go girl and Jon, thank you for being open and relenting! Our boy Gus needs to stay warm and comfy this winter! No shivering allowed! 🙂
And I, too, laughed out loud at the balloon and crow commentary. Cracked me up. Your honesty and humbleness is a breath of fresh air this Sunday morning, Jon!
I hope that you seasoned that crow properly! I actually am having to put a sweater on my large Airedale, Rudy, right now because he is getting pretty elderly, doesn’t have much fat on his bones, and was recently groomed. We are having some lovely cool weather in my part of Ohio and I’m not turning the heat on yet, so he shivers, especially at night. It seems only proper to put a sweater on him, although doing so is not something I would ever imagined having to do for an Airedale! It’s not just little dogs that sometimes need a little cosseting.