1/8 Dinosaur, Batman and Elvis: the most beautiful carnival dogs on the catwalk
Two more days and then the greatest party of all parties will start again. Not only people from Brabant dress up in a crazy outfit, their pets are also increasingly participating in carnivals as brides, dinosaurs or Spiderman. Our dog models show the most beautiful pèkskes on the catwalk.
At the carnival shop De Feestspecialist in Tilburg, it was already packed early Wednesday morning with people hoping to score a great outfit. These are tropical times for owner Maurice van Hommel and his team. “We have hundreds of visitors every day,” he says. “And that includes pets.”
Six-year-old Souza and two-year-old Siep came to the carnival shop with their owners. Although they sometimes struggle a bit when a Mexican hat is placed on their head, they have a great time.
Owner Nanna (20) from Udenhout loves dressing up Siep. “That’s how she fits in. She doesn’t like loud noises, but I’m sure she’ll enjoy coming out onto the streets with us soon.”
Souza also walks through the carnival shop like a real model. “She’s used to something,” says owner Ingrid from Veldhoven. “At Christmas she gets a nice suit, and when the weather is cold, she has a sweater to protect against the cold. But during Carnival she stays at home. We are going to celebrate, Souza can look after the house.”
The collection for dogs hangs in a corner of the immense store. The suit of Star Wars hero Yoda, complete with yellow ears, a rainbow-colored tutu, a cool Elvis suit and a snow-white wedding dress, there is something for every chihuahua and poodle.
The dog costumes are popular, says Maurice. “We once started selling special packages for dogs at Halloween, which was already very popular in America at the time,” he says. “We then decided to take the step with carnival clothes for four-legged friends. And it was a great success.”
According to the owner, celebrating Carnival with your furry friend is becoming increasingly popular. “Carnival can’t be crazy enough,” he says. “Of course you don’t take them to a busy pub or in a polonaise, but you increasingly see people standing along the parade with their dogs.”
Maurice is forced to skip Carnival because he simply doesn’t have time for that. “My working day starts around seven in the morning and I don’t finish until after midnight. We are also open throughout the carnival. But we do have the TV on in the store and occasionally we watch the Tilburg parade. And then we regularly see our dog suits passing by.”
There are plenty of plans at the party store. “The trend among carnival goers at the moment is the carnival coat with emblems. We want to work with that for the dogs. And there will also be something with orange-green, the colors of Tilburg.”
