Why do people buy dog bandanas and bows?
I have soooo many dog bandanas and bows and whilst I started Pup and Running with dog coats, when I added in bandanas and bows it was because I wanted more and I wanted certain patterns and designs I couldn’t find in New Zealand. But why did I want bandanas and bows in the first place? Well that is the true question, isn’t it. Why do we buy dog bandanas and bows?
Why did you recently buy a new t-shirt? Fashion darling! That is one reason people buy bandanas and bows. Just fashion. When we are getting bandanas and bows for fashion we need to have quite a few so they aren’t wearing the same thing week in and week out!
Events! Dates such as Christmas, Easter, but also birthdays, weddings, parties you are going to and want to make sure your dog looks up to date. There are bandanas and bows for every occasion, so much so, you can even buy custom bandanas to make announcements!
Announcing something new in your life is also something that can be done with dog bandanas! An engagement, pregnancy, birth, moving house. Any life events can be announced with your dog and a dog bandana. This also lets everyone know how much your dog is a huge part of your household and family because you are having them be part of the fun and part of your life in telling others the news.
In terms of announcing things, bandanas can also let others know important things about your dog. If you have a bind or deaf dog you can get bandanas that say so. If your dog is reactive and doesn’t like people or other dogs or just needs space, you can get a bandana that says so! My personal favourite are the ones that say ‘in training’.
Keeping your dog cool in summer and warm in winter is another good reason for a dog bandana. You can buy bandanas out of various materials that claim to be cooling bandanas for summer and whilst some of them do work well and hold water for a bit longer, any cotton bandana can be a cooling bandana by wetting it! So good to help your dog stay cool in summer! Whilst a bandana doesn’t keep your dog warm when it is cold in winter, I figure it is better than nothing! It’s a little layer to not be so cold.
Personality. When we get our dogs they come with personality. Things like and don’t like, silly things they do. Us humans have so many ways to show our personality and our dogs are led by us. No way to show their favourite food is chicken, they love sticks or the ball is everything. You can get bandanas showing off chicken, that say branch manager or ball is life. You can even get bandanas that say ladies man! Sometimes it can be difficult just to tell if a dog is a male or female so bows of a certain colour or pattern can help people stop misgendering your dog! Let your pup’s personality shine!
Support a cause. When you support a cause, usually you get a sticker, the same as when you vote (although RIP voting stickers at the last NZ election). You can also do this now with bandanas and bows. Many small businesses make bandanas and bows to show their support and give donations with the profit of sales from bows and bandanas to support certain country colours, ceasefires, fighting diseases and cancers. Personally, every year I do bandanas and bows for Pride Month here in Auckland.
There are so many reasons to get your dog into wearing bows and bandanas – or maybe just understand why your friends do it! Either way, if you are going to buy a bandana, or you want a gift for a friend, I say – support small! And do it because you want to – not because someone else said you should!
