1987: Rogan wears homemade pantaloons to keep him from self-mutilating while his mange clears up.

I will be the first one to admit that dogs can look mighty cute when they are wearing clothing. I mean, just look at the attached photo. Does it get any cuter than that? That's Rogan in 1987. I actually made him that little yellow pantaloon in an effort to keep him from digging at his skin as a result of mange (he came from very unsavory beginnings and had just arrived). And you've already seen the results of our recent thermal underwear Chihuahua photo shoot. The cuteness factor was off the charts.

But these articles of clothing are functional. I do draw the line at uncomfortable clothing and clothing designed to make dogs look silly or otherwise poke fun at them. My colleague Bob sent me an article recently called, "Dog Owners Who Truly Love Dogs Don't Dress Them in Clothing," that includes numerous photos of dogs wearing outfits that are clearly designed to humiliate them. There's a get-up for a dachshund that looks like a hot dog (Get it? A hot dog! Yuk, yuk, yuk!). And there are fancy dresses and pig costumes for bulldogs and an uncomfortable-looking clown suit and on and on.

What is the motivation for dressing dogs in outfits just to make people laugh at them? I mean, the dogs have no clue why we're doing this to them, so it's clearly not for their benefit. I know, I know―I can hear the answer already: "They don't mind at all! They love it! They love being the center of attention!" Sometimes they do, and that's great. But it's much better if they're the center of attention because of their amazing abilities or their beauty or their plain sweetness. And anyway, it's not really so much what effect this mockery has on your dog that's important. It's what effect it has on you. Once you give yourself permission to make fun of your dog, a subtle shift takes place. Your respect for your dog falls a little. And even though "it's all in good fun" and your dog doesn't really even understand what's going on, a door has now been opened―the door to disdain and indifference.

There are other paths leading to this door as well. I often hear people making verbal fun of their own dogs―insulting them ("Oh, quit acting so stupid!"), disparaging them ("Oh, you're such a pain in the neck"), or saying that they'd better shape up or they're going to be sent back to the animal shelter. Why do people say such things to their dogs? Are they afraid to show affection for their dogs in front of other people? Do they really have such a low opinion of their own dog? I suppose it varies from individual to individual. But the one common thread is that these negative comments ultimately have a deleterious impact on the mindset of the human who utters them.

So here's a suggestion: Whisper sweet nothings to your dog, and if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Oh, yeah, and please lose the tight, itchy, scratchy, silly, humiliating, nonfunctional canine costumes. Fido will be ever so grateful.