Looking through the camera lens at my girl, I beamed with pride.
Teenie was posing perfectly in her black and gold frock with a pink bow in her gorgeous golden locks. ‘You’re the perfect model,’ I cooed, handing her a dog treat.
A beautiful Pomeranian, Chihuahua and German Spitz cross, Teenie has been the light of my life since the day she was born.
When my parents’ dogs had puppies, Mum and Dad gave me the chance to keep one from the litter and Teenie stole my heart right away.
Still at high school, I saved up my lunch money to buy cheap dog clothes on eBay.
But after I graduated and became a veterinary nurse, I was able to afford more lavish items for my furry fashionista.
‘Let’s try this on, baby,’ I said whenever I got her a new outfit. She got excited from the treats I gave her so it was a win-win situation!
I kept her clothes in one of the drawers in my wardrobe but that very quickly filled up.
I didn’t have enough space to surrender another drawer, so I bought a ladder rack from Kmart and set up her own clothing stand. Soon that wasn’t enough, so one rack became two… then three!
Recently, I brought home a haul of outfits from a holiday to Japan and Korea.
Now my trendy pup has 257 colourful outfits, including dresses, jumpers, harnesses, bows and bandanas.
In total, I’ve spent about $4000 on Teenie’s clothing and it’s got to the point where her wardrobe is bigger than mine. She has almost enough clothes to wear something different every day for a whole year!
I don’t dress Teenie when she’s at home. She’s very much naked and happy! So she associates dressing up with going out, whether it’s to join me at work or out for a walk.
And people love it when they see a cute little dog all dressed up. We get stopped regularly and she receives lots of pats.
‘You’re an attention seeker, aren’t you?’ I chuckle as she laps it up.
My classy canine isn’t just a celebrity when we go for walks but on social media too, with 13,400 people following her Instagram account, @teeniethepom.
Most people online are positive but I get a few that don’t have the nicest thing to say. Dogs should stay outside and roll around in the mud and be a dog, someone wrote.
But unlike most dogs Teenie hates even getting her feet wet!
How much I’ve spent on Teenie’s clothing offends people the most.
Is it a ridiculous amount of money to spend on pet clothing? Yes, but I work hard for my money so it shouldn’t be anyone’s concern what I choose to spend it on.
I know Teenie is spoilt, nobody needs to tell me that. But my precious girl deserves it. She deserves the world.
She has such funny little quirks like rubbing her tummy on the carpet and dancing with her two front feet when she’s happy.
She’s a total foodie and turns her head when she hears the word ‘treat’. She really is a spunky girl with a huge personality in a Teenie package!
