Pets in sweaters
There are many undesirable aspects of winter -- dry hands, steamy subways, itchy wool -- but winter is also the season when animals hit the streets in sweaters. So, bring on the cold!
Here, Kona the bulldog poses for a holiday session with pet photography company, Tischman Pets, wearing a matching Santa sweater and hat. That's the sort of bah humbug face everyone wants to see.
Pets in sweaters
Meet Muchisimo, or "Mooch" for short. He may have mussed up the fur on his face, rolling around in the leaves, but that shawl-collared reindeer sweater he's wearing still looks like a million bucks.
Catwalk? More like dogwalk
Billie the Shih Tzu walks the runway in a Woozie Wear Lilac Sweater at the Pet-A-Porter Dog Fashion Show and champagne reception in London.
Pets in sweaters
Think winter sweaters are just for dogs? Tell that to these fashionable felines.
Here, Lambchop and Ziggy model a pair of ugly Christmas sweaters in their New York apartment. Me-ow.
Pets in sweaters
A Weimaraner named Casey wears a reindeer hat and a sweater as he walks through a few inches of snow on Boston Common. Hey, it gets cold in Massachusetts!
Rat pack
If fashion is a rat race, this little guy's got a leg up on the competition. Sporting a blue cat sweater from Etsy's RatsAndMore shop, he's ready to give even the cutest sweater-wearing dogs a run for their money.
Pets in sweaters
When police in Omaha, Nebraska found a stray sheep wandering the streets without an owner, they brought it to the Humane Society for safe keeping. Then, in a stroke of "shear brilliance," they dressed it up in a Christmas sweater and let it strut its stuff.
Pets in sweaters
In this picture, a poodle named Charlie poses for a holiday session with Tischman Pets in his most festive fair isle.
Pets in sweaters
Prepare yourself to be green with envy. This stylish pug is sporting a jade cable knit and enjoying a scratch from his owner, as he waits to be sprinkled with holy water at the Blessing of the Animals in downtown Los Angeles. Can we say #blessed?
Pets in sweaters
Even guinea pigs are getting in on the action. So, if you're a rodent owner, you're in luck.
"PetSmart's ugly sweaters for dogs and cats are among our top five best-selling holiday apparel items so far this season," Eran Cohen, PetSmart's chief customer experience officer told CBS News in December 2015. "We even have ugly sweaters for guinea pigs."
Pets in sweaters
And lest you think American animals are the only pets taking part in this stylish winter phenomenon, take a gander at this German pooch. Wearing a gray knitted pullover, he's fully equipped to brave the subzero temperatures, after a heavy snow in central Berlin.
Pets in sweaters
Lexy, a young Australian Shepherd/Shiba Inu mix, strikes a regal pose in Connecticut's Greenwich Commons, keenly aware of how good she looks in her ruby red sweater.
Pets in sweaters
And let's not forget the winter accessories. Any person who's ever lived in a cold climate knows that some wintry days necessitate hats and scarves, in addition to sweaters. Well, in Etsy's RatsAndMore shop, rodents can score stylish crocheted scarves as well.
Pets in sweaters
Lewie, a Jack Russell Terrier, wears a knitted jumper at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London, while awaiting adoption. Around 550 homeless dogs and 200 cats are provided refuge by Battersea at any given time.
Argyle style
Move over, Ralph Lauren. There's a new King of Prep in town. Doing his best James Dean, Mooch -- a young Coton de Tulear -- models a multicolored argyle on the sidewalk in New Jersey.
Pets in sweaters
And for those pets that simply won't tolerate a sweater, there's always the DIY route to holiday fashion. Here, for example, Izzy the turtle dons a red bow in preparation for Christmas.
Pretty in pink
It doesn't matter what breed they are or how large they are, it seems all dogs look adorable in sweaters. Here, Tootsie the Pit Bull bundles up against February snow in New York City's East Village.
Pets in sweaters
Toby, a four-month-old standard poodle, wears a knitted sweater, while accompanying his owner on a shopping trip in Arvada, Colorado.
He looks a little annoyed about it; but when the weather is bitter cold, some pets -- especially small dogs with short hair, like Chihuahuas, pugs and several breeds of terrier -- need to wear a sweater or coat.
Pets in sweaters
For the cat lovers out there, PetSmart also has a line of ugly Christmas sweaters for felines. The kitty seen here is modeling one of their black pullovers, depicting a rather meta present under the tree.
Pets in sweaters
Aimee Beltran of Virginia Beach, Virginia, has turned her blog into an ugly sweater classroom twice, using her 6-year-old Chihuahua, Chuy. as a model for the finished product.
Her advice to anyone making a pet sweater: "Have fun with it. Don't take it too seriously. Make it your own and your style. There is no right or wrong way to do it."
Pets in sweaters
Do dogs care about fashion, though? Experts say no.
"Dog vision is different than human vision and because patterns are not particularly useful to their vision, dogs probably could care less what their sweater looks like," says Dr. Bonnie Beaver, executive director of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and a professor at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Pets in sweaters
And most dogs and cats don't like wearing sweaters unless they got used to being dressed young. "Sometimes the putting on or taking off can cause static electricity, which would make the dog even more anxious the next time," Beaver says.
Pets in sweaters
Mooch here obviously got used to being dressed in apparel young. So, now, he feels comfortable enough to run and play, while wearing sweaters... the most dapper gentleman at the dog park.
Pets in sweaters
Coco, an eight-year old Chihuahua, shows off his new form-fitting Christmas sweater on a walk in Los Angeles. You go, Glen Coco!
Pets in sweaters
Sonic, a young Cairn Terrier, bundles up against the cold in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Pets in sweaters
Animal apparel has become a booming industry, with canine fashion labels and pet clothing stores popping up all over the internet. There are expensive options, reasonable options, outlandish options, even matching options for the whole family. So, with a little research, you're bound to find a sweater that's perfect for you and your pet.
Pets in sweaters
Here, a pug dressed in a white sweater poses for photos in the lobby of the main tent during Olympus Fashion Week at New York's Bryant Park.
Owners love to have fun with their pets' apparel, but "most of this is a people thing," Beaver says.
