I started scrolling for “dog Christmas outfits” a few weeks ago – and I wasn’t quite sure why. Up until now, I’ve always resisted the temptation to dress my 11-year-old golden retriever, Muggles, in silly festive outfits like a pull-on elf hat.
I admit, I’ve always secretly wanted to get him a Gucci reversible corduroy pet coat costing £570, but I didn’t want to make him the laughing stock of the neighbourhood by putting him in a humorous reindeer pet costume, a Santa hat with an elasticated chin strap, or in matchy-matchy Christmas PJs for the family. It just seemed so naff.
Until now. As I dropped Muggles off for his biannual groom at the luxury pet store, Love My Human in London’s King’s Road, a regular haunt of James Middleton’s and where he sells his freeze-dried raw dog food, I had a change of heart.
It was the sight of all the soft alpaca dog Christmas jumpers – and Santa bandanas – that did it. As I was sitting a few doors down in their dog café waiting for Muggles, staring aimlessly at a dog menu with “loaded” puppuccinos, beef wellington, and dog ice cream, I thought to myself, “Go on, it’s Christmas. Why not?”
The question was whether I could dress him up for Christmas day – but do it tastefully?
I wandered back into the shop and picked him out a fabulously soft alpaca knit with a snowman design (£52.50), a great crocheted Christmas tree hat (from £35), and a traditional large red velvet festive Christmas bow (£18.50).
I threw in a fresh seafood shrimp toy to complement his Christmas-themed outfit. I wanted him to look subtle and refined, not gimmicky.
As Muggles returned upstairs from the grooming parlour looking like a fluffy white teddy bear rather than his usual matted, dirty sheep look, I got him dressed for Christmas. From that point on, everywhere I went, people stopped us in the street, saying, “Oh, he’s adorable,” and “Look at him, so cute!”
Then I took him to meet my children, Lola, nine, and Liberty, seven. Their whole school swooned over his Christmas outfit. He lapped up the attention and seemed happily comfortable. I took off his jumper once we got home, so he didn’t overheat, and even snipped a few stitches around the neck so it was a looser fit for him.
But according to Peta, this isn’t okay. The animal rights charity recently criticised Channel 4’s show Game Of Wool: Britain's Best Knitter, presented by former Olympic diver Tom Daley, for putting knitted clothes on dogs at the risk of causing them “discomfort and stress”.
In the hit show’s episode – “The Dog Apparel Challenge”, contestants had to create “iconic” but “practical” two-piece doggie outfits in 12 hours for two Italian greyhounds, who then modelled their new knitwear. The outfits included a neon orange coat and matching pom-pom hat, a rainbow sparkly coat and gold unicorn hat, a tailored red coat with a yellow and black beret, and a pink and white stripy number with a regal crown.
Disapproving viewers online expressed their “disappointment” at Daley for being involved in such a degrading project. “As if any self-respecting, animal-caring dog owner would subject their canine to wearing these totally impractical outfits,” said one viewer.
Elisa Allen, Peta’s vice president of programmes and operations, told Channel 4: “The only animals who should wear wool are sheep.” The campaigners also made it clear there should be a switch from using real wool to “natural, biodegradable plant wools” because the production of any animal-derived material, including wool, involves animal suffering and exploitation
“Dogs aren't dolls, they are whole, intelligent individuals who should be respected for who they are,” Allen then told The Mail on Sunday. “Putting clothes on them for our entertainment reduces them to laughable, lesser humans.”
Putting a garment on a dog is acceptable only when it’s truly in their best interest, to “keep them warm or dry”. She added: “Garments can bother dogs, and cause them discomfort, stress and confusion”.
But surely it’s harmless fun as long as the dog doesn’t mind it, and they don’t overheat? Of course I wouldn’t stick my dog in a ridiculous personalised pet cape with pom poms which meant that he could hardly walk, but a fun festive coats? Why not? I’m not alone in wanting to my dog to joing in the Christmas fun either. The pet fashion industry is booming, and is driven by consumers who increasingly view their pets as family members, just like I do.
The global pet clothing market was valued at around £4.12bn in 2024 and is expected to reach over £5.52bn by 2030. King Charles has launched his own range of tweed jackets for dogs made exclusively at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk and crafted from Sandringham Royal Tweed with a brown collar and belt.
I’m not alone in wanting to dress my dog in festive clobber, either. The pet fashion industry is booming, and is driven by consumers who increasingly view their pets as family members, just like I do.”
The current M&S x Bella Freud collaboration, which also includes a lambswool blend dog jumper with the “Best Friend” slogan across the back, is a nod to the designer's trademark “1970” jumper and brings a new cool-dog level to canine fashion.
And these days, twinning with your dog is as fun as doing it with your mini-me child at Trotters. That’s why Next sells matching chocolate brown Fair Isle knitted Christmas dog jumpers (£18) so that you can coordinate with them.
Dogs are so much more than loyal companions. We give them blueberry facials, feed them special diets, and a recent study revealed that 54 per cent of dog owners regard their dog as a pseudo-child.
On many levels, that has always been the case for me. Muggles was like a surrogate child; when I got him, I was desperate for a baby and in the midst of IVF. I sang lullabies to him and carried him around in a bag when he was a puppy.
And like many other dog parents, I also suffer “dog guilt” just as strongly as “mum guilt” when I feel I’m not giving him the attention he deserves. A degree of anthropomorphism isn’t a bad thing. But the changing landscape of the dog-owner relationship means that we often attribute things to our dogs that are merely projections of ourselves – not how the dog really feels.
While Muggles seems to be happy to be wearing a Christmas jumper, I also know that he hasn’t got a clue about why so much fuss is being made of it either. And he looks especially cute in he reindeer outfit I bought him. The brown cotton special made dog hoodie with cute antlers felt slightly less restrictive than the jumper – and easier to wash.
In his reindeer form, I can’t walk down the road without people wanting to take selfies with him. Muggles looks adorable in his new festive outfits. But once Christmas is over, he’s going back to plain old Muggles and I’ll love him just the same.
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