Spokane’s Urban Canine tends to cater to the more casual dog

If you insist on dressing Fido in the latest from Gucci or Louis Vuitton, you’ll probably have to go out of town to find what you’re looking for, but that doesn’t mean local pooches have to go undressed.

“We have many lines of very popular dog apparel,” said Deborah Olmsted, owner of Urban Canine, a shop that carries a huge selection of dog accessories, outfits, beds and gear. “Our most popular line is Teckelklub which is fleece wear for dogs. It’s very popular with dachshunds because they can get a style without sleeves. They have short legs, so they don’t wear sleeves very well.”

How about matching owner to pooch?

“Yes, people do come in and ask for that,” said Olmsted. “We sell a pink T-shirt for dogs that has ‘Princess’ written on it in rhinestones, and the owners can buy one, too.”

The T-shirts will be in later this spring.

Olmsted doesn’t carry Gucci or even Poochi, another canine fashion line.

“That stuff is very expensive, and I mean, you are in Spokane. I don’t think there’s a huge market for that here,” she said.

Nice outfits aren’t just for purse-size pooches. For bigger dogs, Olmsted recommends Ruff Wear.

“That’s a line out of Bend, Oregon, and it’s more for the REI type dog owner,” said Olmsted. “We also have their harnesses with reflective strips. Those are very popular.”

Finally, if you don’t feel like springing for a 100 percent wool sweater made in Ecuador – another popular dog outfit – there’s always the tried and true classic: a new collar.

“Right now I’d say the line of hemp collars that we carry is very popular,” said Olmsted. “They come in many different designs.”