She is a giant yorkie at 12 lbs (thought she was only 9 until her last vet visit). At any rate, she fits in there with plenty of room to spare. I honestly think a compact dog up to 25 lbs (french bulldog maybe) would fit in there fine. She loves it - but she always loved her crate too.
I understand what you are saying, and I really hate people who treat dogs like accessories and not actual living beings. They are certainly not disposable, and I have no idea how some people can toss them aside at any whim. I'm actually probably have more rigorous standards than most.
All that being said, my dogs are spoiled rotten, but they behave, so I guess not so rotten after all. Both go to doggie daycare every day while we are at work - they both LOVE it! Are they dressed up in something suitable for the weather or a bow almost every day? Absolutely. Does a dog really care if it wearing designer clothes? Of course not - that is for me, but if they don't mind it I really don't see the harm. We go for long walks to the park on the weekends and spend some time at the dog park. They both get to be dogs, if that makes any sense.
Rory is clicker-trained and knows many, many commands, and she has also been on TV a few times. Lane, who we just rescued before Christmas from a puppy mill bust, obviously has much further to go in terms of commands, but we are working with her. Do I carry them around in fancy bags to the mall? Yes, I do - Rory LOVES it. She loves other dogs, children and people - and has never snapped at any of them. Of course, I have had her since she was a puppy and had the benefit of socializing her very well. Lane has always been very sweet to anyone we encounter, but due to her past in a puppy mill I'm more weary of how much she might "enjoy" being in a carrier, etc.
They eat very high-end dog food and take some supplements that are mainly fruits and vegetables recommended to me.
I just wanted to add that before Rory I had 135 lb bullmastiff. He was certainly my first "child." Unfortunately, almost two years after his initial cancer diagnosis and 2 6 month rounds of chemo, he passed away. They obviously don't make nearly as many clothes for GIANT breed dogs (and trust me - he NEEDED a coat - he'd shiver outside without one - moreso than my girls now, but certainly the demand isn't what it is for the toy breeds and I recognize that), so part of the appeal of a toy breed dog was that I would be able to dress them up in cute clothes, tote them around in a bag and buy them cutesy things. Another part of it was the lengthier life expectany. My bullmastiff was diagnosed at 6 years old and passed away just short of his 8th birthday.
I know your post wasn't directed at me, but I just wanted to give you another point of view. Hopefully, most of the people on this forum have done their research before they get their puppy and are simply having trouble determining which sex they might enjoy the most and look to the trivial things to help them decide. Odds are they will end up loving either a male or a female the same!
