Pet bling a big thing with owners

According to this article on diamond jewelry, jewelry for pets is becoming more and more popular with pet owners:



Blame it on Paris.


The spoiled celebrity hasn't just had influence over the raising of the human hemline; she's practically single-handedly responsible for the mass posh-ification of pets, too.


Using her four-legged friends as dressed-up accessories, Paris Hilton has spawned an industry explosion of blinged-out bulldogs and chi-chi chihuahuas.



"You can trace it to the Paris Hilton thing for sure. I think that's when it really took off. You go to these trade shows nowadays, and there are tons of these booths full of this kind of stuff. It's in the last five years it's really taken off," says Michael Hoeper, manager of Pisces Pet Emporium.


The shop carries an array off accessories for the pampered pooch, including Chloe's Canine sparkly collar charms that look like diamond-encrusted bones and dollar signs.


The popularity of dog clothing has also skyrocketed, and both male and female pet owners purchase everything from precious leopard-print jackets with matching tutus and pillbox hats to tough stuff like leather jackets and bandanas -- Pisces carries a whole line of Harley -Davidson brand dog gear that includes leather collars, T-shirts, bandanas and leads.


Montreal-based Poochey Couture (poocheycouture.com) is a brick-and-mortar shop that also offers online shopping. The place is a howl, decked out in bubblegum pink and lemon yellow, stocked with racks of fashion for Fido, whether your dog tends toward geek chic, punk princess or trendsetter.


Many pet owners are content to just shampoo and brush their animals and call it a day in the looks department, but Hoeper says a lot of people like adding that attention-getting wow factor.
"I think it's that people see pets as an extension of themselves and dress them up. But they also just like to spoil them."