I love coats, I love my dog, I love coats, I love my dog

Can the two be combined? I suppose the first question is, should dogs wear coats? Do dogs need coats? In my defence my dog definitely does need an extra layer during the colder months. Let me explain, she is a rescue 4 year old greyhound called Nora. Greyhounds are not the cuddliest of pooches, thin, bony, leggy, and can run fast is the image that usually springs to mind. I have to agree Nora does fit the description, the running bit however lets her down. On the rare occasion she has been off the lead to run she only manages a few seconds and can only run in a straight line, twisting and turning is not her thing, it usually ends in some sort of injury and a trip to the vet.

Yes she is slim, elegant and only really enjoys one walk a day, preferring to sleep for hours on end in one of her many beds. But I digress back to clothes. I love clothes, in particular pre loved ones, 90% of my wardrobe is made up of charity shop and vintage pieces. The items I love to buy most are coats, I can’t get enough, I have so many that I do not have enough wardrobe space and most of them are from charity shops. 

As I explained earlier Nora needs a coat during the colder months, when we first got her we were told if you need a coat, she needs a coat! 

How about I make Nora some coats to match my own!! There is the whole child matching mum concept, how about owner matching dog! Nora had one grey coat, a fairly simple design made of a soft fleece material, the pattern looked fairly simple even for a beginner, I forged ahead, ordered some fleece and got out my trusty sewing machine. I have to explain now that I am not a great sewer but I thought I could use her coat as a template. This worked and away I went. Here are the results…….

My first attempt was a leopard print number, modelled here by myself and Nora, hers is a slightly different print to mine but you get the idea! 

Inspired by the success I then made a yellow version! 

Followed by blue and pink ones, both coats came with a belt that I didn’t really wear so I used the fabric to make a matching fur collar!

I have also made green, orange and a lovely black number with a luxurious fur collar. Nora gets a lot of attention and is stopped regularly and admired during her walks. 

I love coats, I love my dog…..I love my dog in coats.