Kristy
09-15-2005, 03:54 PM
Jewelry for pets proving to be booming business as owners dote on dogs
Wendy McLellan
The Province
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Rhinestones are a pup's best friend -- not to mention swarovski crystals, pearls and sterling silver.
We spoil our pets with squeaky toys and homemade cookies, but a pup isn't truly pampered until it's got bling.
"Dogs are our babies and we get such pleasure out of dressing them. People love to spend money on their dogs," said Judy Koenig, owner of Montreal-based Chloe's Canine Collections and designer of doggie jewelry.
Koenig was at a pet-industry trade show in Richmond yesterday doing a brisk business with enthusiastic retailers, while Chloe, her five-year-old Maltese, modelled the merchandise.
The charm collars are particularly popular this year, Koenig said, along with pearl and crystal necklaces and leather collars customized with rhinestone letters.
Hair clips, personalized T-shirts and tiny winter boots are also selling well as retailers cash in on the trend to treat our pets -- dogs in particular -- like precious little four-legged humans.
"The response has been really overwhelming," said Koenig. "It's getting hotter and hotter by the month."
Louis McCann, executive director of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council which organized the two-day trade show, said pet jewelry and high-end items are big hits with pet owners this year.
"People are freeing up more money to spend on their pets, and the high-end products and services are huge," said McCann.
Statistics Canada figures show B.C. residents spent $500 million last year on their pets. Nationally, Canadians spent $3.7 billion in 2004 on pet food, accessories, toys and health care.
Koenig has celebrity heiress Paris Hilton and her bejewelled chihuahua to thank for her growing business.
When she got Chloe, she was designing jewelry for humans and made little necklaces and hair clips for her new pup for fun.
"People were asking me where I got her jewelry, and that's how it started."
From there, her designs were showcased at a pet fashion show in Montreal, and her dog-collar charms have appeared in Modern Dog magazine.
Photo:
CREDIT: Wayne Leidenfrost, The Province
Judy Koenig holds her dog Chloe, who's modelling some of the jewelry Koenig makes for pets, mostly dogs. It is a booming business -- the thing for the 'in' pet right now.
Wendy McLellan
The Province
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Rhinestones are a pup's best friend -- not to mention swarovski crystals, pearls and sterling silver.
We spoil our pets with squeaky toys and homemade cookies, but a pup isn't truly pampered until it's got bling.
"Dogs are our babies and we get such pleasure out of dressing them. People love to spend money on their dogs," said Judy Koenig, owner of Montreal-based Chloe's Canine Collections and designer of doggie jewelry.
Koenig was at a pet-industry trade show in Richmond yesterday doing a brisk business with enthusiastic retailers, while Chloe, her five-year-old Maltese, modelled the merchandise.
The charm collars are particularly popular this year, Koenig said, along with pearl and crystal necklaces and leather collars customized with rhinestone letters.
Hair clips, personalized T-shirts and tiny winter boots are also selling well as retailers cash in on the trend to treat our pets -- dogs in particular -- like precious little four-legged humans.
"The response has been really overwhelming," said Koenig. "It's getting hotter and hotter by the month."
Louis McCann, executive director of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council which organized the two-day trade show, said pet jewelry and high-end items are big hits with pet owners this year.
"People are freeing up more money to spend on their pets, and the high-end products and services are huge," said McCann.
Statistics Canada figures show B.C. residents spent $500 million last year on their pets. Nationally, Canadians spent $3.7 billion in 2004 on pet food, accessories, toys and health care.
Koenig has celebrity heiress Paris Hilton and her bejewelled chihuahua to thank for her growing business.
When she got Chloe, she was designing jewelry for humans and made little necklaces and hair clips for her new pup for fun.
"People were asking me where I got her jewelry, and that's how it started."
From there, her designs were showcased at a pet fashion show in Montreal, and her dog-collar charms have appeared in Modern Dog magazine.
Photo:
CREDIT: Wayne Leidenfrost, The Province
Judy Koenig holds her dog Chloe, who's modelling some of the jewelry Koenig makes for pets, mostly dogs. It is a booming business -- the thing for the 'in' pet right now.