Embroidered Small Dog Fleece Sweater

Nobody walks past a tiny dog in a sweater.

Gets stopped on every walk: a big embroidered patch sits across the back, cut from fabric and stitched down rather than printed on.
Soft enough that they forget it is on: a plush fleece body with a ribbed collar and hem, and no zips, poppers or velcro anywhere on it.
Made for the dogs most shops skip: sizes start at XXS, cut for a two kilo toy breed, a Chihuahua or a Yorkshire Terrier puppy.
Dressed before they can object: it pulls straight on over the head, two front legs through, and you are done.

What the patch is actually made of

Cheap dog clothes print the picture straight onto the fabric. It looks right in the photograph and flat in real life.

This one is cut out of separate fabric and stitched down all the way round the edge, so it stands slightly proud of the sweater. Run a thumb across the back and you can feel the outline of it.

Picking one is the hard part

There are rocking horses, penguins, rabbits, bears, caterpillars, snails and pandas. There are hearts and paw prints for a dog who would rather not be an animal about it.

The backgrounds change too: stripes, polka dots, and one in rainbow bands. Same soft fleece under all of them, same ribbed collar, same shape.

Sunday morning and nobody is going anywhere

This is not only a going-out layer. Half the time it never leaves the house.

Your little one is asleep on the corner of the sofa in a bright yellow fleece with a bear on the back, and you are getting nothing done, because you keep looking over.

Questions

Will my dog be comfortable in it?

There is nothing hard on it. No zip, no fastenings, and the collar and hem are ribbed so they sit against the body without digging in.

It is cut loose rather than close, which is usually what wins a small dog over. Most take to it the first time it goes on.

Which size should I order?

Go by your dog rather than by the letter on the label. A two kilo toy breed sits comfortably in the smallest sizes, and a four kilo Chihuahua lands around the middle of the range. Six sizes run from XXS up to XL.

One thing worth knowing: the neck comes up generous. If your dog is between two sizes, or has a fine neck, take the smaller one and the collar will sit better.

How warm is it?

It is a plush fleece the whole way through, with a deep soft pile rather than a thin knit. That is a proper layer of warmth for indoors and for a dry walk.

There is no padding and no waterproof shell, so on a soaking January afternoon it works best under a coat rather than instead of one.

What designs are there?

Rocking horse, penguin, rabbit, bunny, bear, panda, caterpillar and snail, plus a heart and a set of paw prints.

They come on striped, spotted and rainbow fleece in blue, pink, yellow, grey and white. The sweater itself is the same under every one.