That’s Shantee’s summer “office girl” look — conservative cuts but with the bright hues of summer. It’s the same dress she wore during her TV shoots with the Kulilits and Zooperstars crew. The summery colors just looked great on TV!

We got this dog dress from a shop in Tiendesitas for about Php150-200. I can’t remember the exact amount, but I do remember it being on sale. Shantee just loves it!!!

Anyway, one of my latest purchases is a Flotation Jacket for Shantee. She was so excited trying it on, knowing fully well that “dressing up” means “going out.” But not this time!

Because this time the Flotation Jacket will be reserved for out-of-town trips, specifically swimming! My husband and I are currently training Shantee for air travel (hopefully, she’ll be ready to ride a plane so we can visit tropical islands in the Philippines not easily reached by car with our fur-baby).

The flotation jacket comes in with a detachable flap from the dog’s neck (not in photo), which is very handy in keeping the dog’s head pointed upwards. Pretty important in Shantee’s case, she’s of a flat-nosed breed (she’s a Shih Tzu). She needs to keep her head afloat because water can easily get into her short snout.

We purchased the flotation jacket for Shantee from the same Australian distributor of Doggles, Modpet Australia, where we got Shantee’s sun glasses. The jacket costs AUS$39.95, but I insisted on paying an additional of AUS$19.95 for registered mail. We ordered Shantee’s flotation jacket during the Holiday season, which was a high time for corrupted customs officials at the Manila airport. The extra amount ensured that we didn’t pay ridiculously high tariff rates (with “Christmas bonus”) for the officials “interpreting” tariff laws on their own. I was able to purchase Shantee’s jacket easily through Modpet Australia’s online store via Paypal.

Marc and I are planning to go on a trip to the beach soon so Shantee can try out her flotation jacket. We’re considering taking her to a beach resort in Batangas since going there doesn’t require air travel. Shantee’s already mastered car travel, so we won’t have any more problems except for looking for a pet-friendly resort who will accommodate our entire family—which includes Shantee

This little fashion pooch belonged to one of the Boracay locals we saw hanging out with their pets at the beach. I couldn’t remember her name, nor do I know her breed, but this little girl sure knows what it’s like to live in high fashion at the beach!

The flamboyant collar the dog was wearing seemed to be made from a person’s old belt, while her shirt seemed to have been made from an infant’s shirt. The collar itself is a bit too much for my Shantee’s taste (hehe), but the “beach style” makeshift dog shirt just goes perfectly with the dog’s dark fur. The stretchable cloth of the shirt is perfect for the beach—the clingy material would make it easy for the dog if she decided to take dip in the sea, kind of like a bathing suit a human wears.

Ah. The things people come up with to dress up their pooch!

Of course, I made Shantee a gown. I couldn’t let her “walk down the aisle” an under-dressed bride!

The gown I made Shantee was made of scrap white satin and lace my mom had lying around. I added some bead and organza trimmings I bought from Carolina’s at SM Megamall just a few days back. I initially intended those trimmings for a different dog dress of Shantee’s, but it seemed more appropriate for this one—it made the dog wedding gown the accent it needed. Offhand, I can say that this is probably the most complicated dog dress I ever made for Shantee, even more complicated than her Christmas dog dress, or polka-dot New Year dog dress. But that’s still not the best thing about it…

I made it look like my own wedding gown!

I didn’t have time to design a really complicated one (my sister Joyce and I decided we’d dress Shantee up for the “wedding” just three days before the event), so I just settled for something similar to my own—something that looks very intricate, but really isn’t. Besides, isn’t it cute that we had the same gown?

Here’s the little bridezilla throwing a tantrum just before she got “married.”

She got really pissed when I left her on that chair to admire and take pictures of Gov. Chavit Singson’s mini horses. Shantee’s very jealous, you know

Shantee still wears her dog necklaces (the customized shell dog necklace I bought her from Boracay is her favorite), but since she’s becoming such a big (little) girl already (she’s five months old now!), it’s time she got her own dog collar. I dunno, I guess I just feel it’s an insult to her “dog-ness” to not ever get her a collar.

The thing that attracted me the most about this collar is the fact that it matches Shantee’s plaid dog harness almost exactly. It even has a bell that jingles every time she took a step. I saw this collar on display at the Snik Paws shop in the Pet Village of Tiendesitas, and bought it for Php100 (that’s around $2 I think).

Would you look at that? Baby girl is now a big girl! Definitely deserves a collar

Marc calls this collar, “the 100-Peso annoyance.” Shantee doesn’t only chew on his toes now, but also gives off a bell sound every time she jumps on Marc

Snik Paws
Stall 27-28A Pet Village, Tiendesitas
Ortigas Avenue corner C5
Pasig City, Philippines
Phone: 4963251
Email: snikpaws06@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0927 6946294, 0917 8812142