There they were, two naked boys running through the house. They were so proud and happy to be free and unencumbered by anything. They had, as the incomparable singer-song writer Ray Stevens proclaimed in his hit song “The Streak,” nothing on but a smile!
This is how our Schnauzers, Buzz and Woody, felt each time we took off their collars in the house. All we had to say was, “Hey, boys. Do you want to be naked, boys?” They’d run over and sit patiently as we unsnapped their collars, and then with a flash start to run and play with utter abandon. After play time wound down, they’d lie beside us on the couch for some deep-tissue massage of their shoulders and necks. Yep, there is nothing like being a naked boy dog!
We always kept their collars on when they were in the yard, traveling in the car, or going for walks. They went to the dog salon with their collars on, got bathed and groomed, and then their collars immediately went back on. We didn’t want to take any chance of them accidentally getting separated from us and end up without their collars and ID tags.
This is especially true since they both were diabetic and had Cushing’s disease. In addition to their rabies tags and name tags, they wore a special medical tag, just like the bracelets and necklaces people wear if they have special medical needs and are unable to tell someone. Buzz and Woody were also microchipped just in case the collars ever fell off or were taken off by anyone. Our philosophy has always been that we do everything possible to keep our dogs safe.
There were times when we had some snow and cold temperatures come through our area. Living in the South, this usually equates to less than a handful of winter days. One year we received four inches of snow in a day. Of course, by the next day, the temperature rose and depleted all remnants of snow ever being there.
During those days we did attempt to put sweaters on our Schnauzers. They were groomed in the typical Schnauzer style of long skirts, beards, and mustaches, with very short fur in other areas, so we thought the sweaters would help protect their closely groomed backs and heads.
However, we always had a battle to get the sweaters over their heads and their front legs placed in the respective holes. Often a Schnauzer head and paw would enter the head hole and one leg would hang outside the sweater.
Once we wrestled the sweaters on their bodies, they would stand stiffly, not understanding that they could actually walk with them on. After we showed them they could walk again, they spent more time pulling on the clothes until they yanked them completely off. Then, they were happy!
I know that some people like to dress their dogs in all kinds of wonderful ways. You see them styling around with custom outfits with tops, hats, and even boots. I even saw one family where the mother, young daughter, and little Shih Tzu wore brightly colored matching outfits. It looked like something from a mash-up of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat meets The Partridge Family. The mom and daughter were so proud, while the dog consistently hid behind them. Boy, I sure hope there were extra treats for that dog after that ordeal.
I guess dressing up our dogs in sweaters and outfits is fine. Our dogs always try to please us and know that this will make us happy. But, for my boys, being naked was true happiness.
Do your dogs prefer to be naked? Do you dress your dogs? Share your stories and pictures in the comments!
Check out these other great articles on Dogster:
- Does Your Dog Like Grooming?
- Do Your Dogs Have a Sixth Sense When You’re Driving to One of Their Favorite Places?
- Does Your Dog Enjoy Boating?
- We Love Heather Mattoon’s Dogs in Clothes
- This Is the Best Dressed Dog We’ve Ever Seen
- Margaret Cho Shows Us How to Make Our Dogs Look Like Rock Stars
- Meet Menswear Dog and 6 Other Stylish Shiba Inu
Featured Image Credit: 12photography, Shutterstock
