Disclosure: this page contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Pride Outfits for Small Dogs: Boo’s Closet, Rainbow Edition
Boo was a Bay Area dog, and San Francisco throws one of the biggest Pride parades in the world every June. Holiday costumes were a staple of his wardrobe, and a rainbow bandana would have suited him: one knot, maximum color, nothing to overheat in on a warm afternoon. That last part is the whole brief for Pride outfits for small dogs. June is hot, the crowd is big, and the dog’s job is to enjoy it.
Half of this page is clothes and half of it is not. The clothes are ranked the way the rest of the closet ranks them, by how long the dog is happy in them. The other half is the parade-day plan: how to get a small dog through a long, loud, happy day with its tail still up. Whether dogs like wearing clothes at all and whether they should dress up for the holidays each have their own page.
The rainbow that lasts all day
None of these were Boo’s; they are the picks we think he would have loved, chosen today for a small dog that likes a party.
1. The rainbow bandana, with a matching scrunchie. The Pride outfit for most small dogs, and the one that gets the human into the photo too, because the scrunchie matches. Cotton, one knot, and fifteen hundred reviews. Order the small. E-Clover’s Pride rainbow bandana and scrunchie set.
2. The tie-dye tee, two of them. For the dog that is happy in a shirt: a sleeveless cotton tank in a rainbow tie-dye, light enough for June, with a second one in the pack so one is clean for the parade. Four hundred reviews say the small fits a small dog, which is not a given with tanks. The tie-dye dog tank two-pack, small.
3. The rainbow bow tie. It slides onto the collar the dog already wears, so there is nothing new on the dog at all. A ten-pack is more bow ties than one dog needs, which makes it the pack for the whole dog park. PET SHOW’s Pride Month bow ties, ten-pack.
Pride outfits for the photo
4. The rainbow tutu. A rainbow tulle skirt and a collar, for the parade photo that is meant to look like a float, worn for the picture and taken off for the walking. It has under sixty reviews, so it is here for the look rather than a long record. The rainbow tutu and collar set for small dogs.
The parade plan
A Pride parade is a long day on hot pavement in a crowd of thousands, with music, and most small dogs enjoy it from a carrier, a bag, or your arms rather than from the ground, where every view is of ankles. Decide first whether your dog likes crowds at all; a dog that is nervous at a farmers’ market is happier at the dog-park Pride party than on the route. For the dog that is coming, the kit is short.
5. The water bottle. A walking bottle with its own drinking cup, so the dog drinks from your hand without a bowl, and the most-reviewed thing in the bag. The portable dog water bottle.
6. The cooling bandana. Soak it, wring it out, tie it on, and it is the one piece of summer gear that still reads as a Pride outfit in the photo. PAWCHIE’s cooling bandana four-pack, small.
The rest of the plan costs nothing. The ID tag stays on. A harness beats a collar in a crowd, because a startled small dog can back out of a collar. Find shade often, offer water often, and have an exit plan for the moment the dog has had enough, which comes earlier than yours. Any rainbow garment comes off before the dog plays with other dogs.
Fit, in one line
Sizes come from a tape measure and the brand’s chart, not a guess, and the winter clothes page has the measuring guide. The rest of the hot-weather kit, the cooling vest, the sun shirt and the pavement rule, is on the summer page.
Boo’s year-round wardrobe is in Boo’s Closet, the holiday after this one is on the Fourth of July page, and his own parade of costumes lives on in the photo gallery.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a small dog wear to Pride?
A rainbow bandana, which is the whole outfit for most dogs, or a light tie-dye tank if the dog is happy in a shirt. A bow tie that slides onto the collar does the job for a dog that wants nothing on its body, and a tutu is for one photo.
Can I take my small dog to a Pride parade?
Yes if the dog is comfortable in crowds and noise, and a small dog is usually happiest in a carrier or your arms rather than on the pavement. Bring water, keep the ID tag on, use a harness, find shade often, and leave when the dog has had enough.
How do I keep my dog cool at a parade?
Water from a bottle with its own cup whenever you drink yourself, shade whenever you pass it, and a soaked cooling bandana around the neck. A dog panting hard or looking for a cool floor is done for the day.