Hairpiece of the dog

If you were spurred on by our recent article on National Dress Up Your Pet Day, you’re on a slippery slope, my friend. What starts out as a harmless bit of fun for you and your dog will become an obsession. You will find yourself preparing all year for the big day, scouring the internet for the perfect costume for your pooch, and engaging your rivals in a grisly dance of death where only one can have the perfect Dog Vader costume.

However good your pet’s outfit may be, there will be one thing lacking – hair. The replica Las Vegas 1976 Elvis jumpsuit you have with the rhinestones may look the business, but without the iconic quiff and sideburns, it’s nothing. Your greyhound looks nothing like Bob Marley without the dreads, and how will people know that your Chihuahua is supposed to be Bo Derek from ‘10’ without the braided hair?

Luckily, a company in Florida has plugged this niche in the market for the follicley vexed dog owner.

Wiggles Dog Wigs is the baby of master wig artiste Ruth Regina. It all started 20 years ago, when her niece asked her to make a hairpiece for her pet basset hound. The word soon spread and, before she knew it, the company was up and running.

There are many styles to choose from, including a Marilyn Monroe blonde bombshell type, a spiky Mohican, a Beatles mop top, Shirley Temple curls and Rastafarian dreads. There is also a ‘Joe the Bartender type’ – modelled by a bulldog wearing a shirt and tie, it lends the pooch a startling resemblance to John Prescott.

However, you should approach fitting your pooch with a hairpiece with caution. A Harpo Marx mop would be somewhat itchy, so if you want to take a picture of your pet wearing one, make sure to reward him with plenty of treats and dog toys to make him sit still.

Mark James