Are you just dying to get a dog? Whether you’re in a relationship or not, the decision to bring a pup into your life is a monumental step for anyone. It’s a serious commitment, this adoption of a scampering, furry child: It’s a living, breathing, warm-blooded mammal that’s going to burrow itself into your comforters, ransack your sock drawer, sleep on your feet, and require all of your attention for at least the first ten months of its life. (It also teethes, requires house training, and needs legions of doctor visits.) It’s a wonderful experience, but it’s not exactly a walk in the park—Did we mention how much you’ll actually have to walk in the park? In all kinds of weather?—especially if it’s the new third addition to your current cozy home of two. “You’ve finally jumped into having a true, shared responsibility with your significant other,” says Market Editor Chelsea Zalopany. “It’s not just about going out whenever you want anymore—now there will always be somebody waiting for you by the door every night.” So if you’re more party animal than animal-friendly, skip straight to the outfit part of this story.
For those truly invested in the furry and four-legged? Well, the hound will certainly get you out of the house! He or she is sure to provide a chance for you and your partner to enjoy the great outdoors: strolls in the park, long walks, and fresh air. Plus, the pup allows you a break from your phone, your daily pressures, your work stress, the dumb fight you two just got in over nothing—now you have another wild thing to focus on. Also, it forces a certain amount of neighborly socializing. “Nothing brings strangers together quite like totally unlivable climates and the four-legged creatures who love them,” says Fashion News Editor Alessandra Codinha, no stranger to mushing along through Tribeca snowbanks in hot pursuit of her one-year-old Golden Retriever, Hugo. “There’s an overall air of ‘well, this is insane, but we love them, and we’re all in it together.’ ”And if you re single, the dog park is the perfect ground to meet other pup-obsessed people. “Basically, it’s the bar scene for anyone single but not on the bar scene,” says Zalopany. Translation: It’s the daytime, not-obviously-on-the-prowl way to leisurely do your thing with your hound—and if his leash happens to get tangled up with that total babe’s terrier? Hey, nice segue!
Keep your ensemble classic East Coast charm, think Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy out with JFK Jr., plenty of denim and warm autumnal shades as an accent, along with a leather leash for your best friend, of course.
