Lifestyles ::

Suiting up in style

STREETERVILLE | Canine gear lets your pooch show true orange-and-blue Bears colors

October 23, 2007

BY SANDY THORN CLARK

Snowflake doesn't personally know Brian Urlacher or Devin Hester, but that doesn't keep the white powder puff cutie from assuming the role of celebrity model by posing adorably in orange-and-blue Bears fleece pullovers and sweatshirts with Bears appliques.

Modeling is one of the 6-year-old Bischon Frise's many roles at the posh Streeterville Pet Spa & Boutique, 401 E. Ontario, where her owner and boutique proprietor, Marion Thompson, designs, sews and custom-alters the Bears doggy outfits, perfect for chilly Bears weather.

Snowflake also serves as the official greeter of the four-legged customers who visit the shop for regular grooming appointments or the latest in fashion and treats, and, in a costume chosen by her mistress, Snowflake hosts an annual Halloween Open House.

The canine sweatshirts and fleece pullovers -- in sizes ranging from XX small for a Yorkie or Chihuahua to XX large for a Labrador or Golden Retriever and costing $25 to $65, depending on size and material -- were first introduced by Thompson last season when the Bears were in the Super Bowl. "We couldn't keep up with the orders and we couldn't find enough fleece," says Thompson of the warm-and-washable material.

So this season, Thompson discovered another vendor for the fleece printed with the Bears logo, and has increased the pullover styles (cowl necklines or turtlenecks) and created fringed scarves ($12 to $15). She also has begun appliquing the Bears helmet or logo on blue and gray doggy sweatshirts. Thompson, who has been in the pet business for 20 years, admits unseasonably warm weather hampered this season's early sales, but orders are increasing as Chicago's temperatures decrease and winds increase.

"Owners want the Bears attire for their dogs whether the team wins or loses," explains Thompson, who also shares her suburban home with Maggie, a 10-year-old lab-hound mix, and two cats: Sirabi, an 8-year-old Himalayan, and Morticia, an 8-year-old smoked silver Persian.

Sunday's last-minute win over the Eagles was great, but the team's record really doesn't matter to Payton, a rambunctious 1-year-old French bulldog. "He's the envy of his neighborhood buds, Charlie and Sammy, when he wears his Bears-pride pullover," boasts his owner, Maggie Warren, who couldn't resist the apparel, especially since he's named for Bears legend Walter Payton.

As if the Bears outerwear isn't enough, Thompson also sells Bears blankets and throws, airline-approved pet totes with Bears-orange trim and football-shaped cookies that proclaim "I Love the Bears."

For stylish and pampered pooches, Thompson offers a variety of cold-weather "musts," including colorful hand-knit Lucky Penny sweaters in wool with cashmere or cashmere for small breeds such as Pugs or Chihuahuas ($90 to $165), a jacket in shocking pink with a leopard collar ($55), camouflage fleece hoodies ($22), blue and gray sports jersey jackets ($12 to $20) leather or fur coats, and jackets in red, brown corduroy, plaid and pink.

Thompson is reluctant to divulge the costume her celebrity Bischon with heart-tugging black eyes will wear for Snowflake's fifth annual Halloween Open House. It's from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, but there's little secret about the trick-or-treat availabilities. The shop has everything from custom-made Halloween baskets with stuffed toys and goodies cleverly tied with a doggy bandana to Howl-O-Ween cakes for doggy parties, cookies iced to resemble skeletons, cakes iced with a spider web design, and peanut butter and oatmeal cookies shaped as ghosts, pumpkins or headstones.

For the dog in need of Halloween attire, Thompson sells hand-knit black and orange scarves with three-dimensional pumpkins and "Spooky" or "Boo" dog collars.

For self-absorbed dogs, Thompson offers a T-shirt with the message "Pet me! Pet me! Pet me! Someone -- please pet me."

Those fashion statements pale in comparison to the wedding dress -- complete with a beaded satin skirt and plain bodice -- and veil on a beaded headband Thompson designed and created for Lupe, a basset hound, to wear to her mistress' wedding reception at the Four Seasons. "I had five layers of netting on that gown -- it was a showstopper," Thompson enthuses.

But then Snowflake's owner is used to scoring touchdowns.

Sandy Thorn Clark is a locally based free-lance writer.