Browsing by Author "Säe, Jenna"

The aim of this study is to examine homemade dog clothes. Dressing dogs according to the prevailing weather conditions is important care as much as proper feeding and exercise. Not all dogs need to be dressed thanks to their fur. Therefore, this study focuses on short-haired sighthounds and their clothing. The research questions were “why sighthound owners sew clothes for their dogs themselves” and “what are typical stories related to self-sewn sighthound clothing”. The theory was supported by studies of handmade human clothing, as dog clothing is a very little studied subject. Previous studies have addressed the impact of dog clothing usability as well as the identity of dog owners on dog clothing choices. This study focuses on handmade dog clothes. The study collected dog clothing stories from three sighthound owners who sew clothes for their dogs themselves. These dog owners all have a long experience of sighthounds and they all take their dogs to sighthound racing competitions. Dog owners were allowed to tell the stories of their self-sewn dog clothes freely without any restrictions on what to say. These stories were transcribed and recurring themes were gathered from them with analysis of narratives. Based on these classifications, two narrative stories were created using narrative analysis. These stories represent two approaches to sewing, which are process-centered sewing and product-centered sewing. The results showed that sighthound owners sew their dog’s clothes because there are no well-fitting clothes available in store. Self-sewn dog’s clothes are just the right size which allows the best protection for the muscles of dogs. Handmade dog clothes are meaningful which increases their emotional value. It is possible to save money when you sew your own dog clothes. In addition, sewing can provide mental and social well-being. Results also show that sewing dog clothes can lead to craft as a hobby, or craft hobby can combine with dog hobby