Sammy's Shelf January 2013: Thank God I'm a cat and not a dog ... There are days I just smile and say to myself, "Sammy, thank God you are a cat and not a dog!" Yesterday was one of those days. I was paging through a new picture book laying on my person's desk. The book, Zorro Gets An Outfit (Simon & Schuster. 9781442435353) was all about this silly little dog and how his owner dressed him in a stupid outfit when they went out for a walk. Now how demeaning is that? Of course the pathetic pooch was mortified because he looked like a four-footed, pint size Batdog. Naturally he received the Royal Raspberry from all the neighborhood dogs and poor Zorro was so abashed that he wouldn't even play when they reached the park. Only seeing another dog wearing an even more ridiculous costume alleviated Zorro's embarrassment. Now, since he was a dog and not very smart, Zorro suddenly felt it was OK to be dressed like Batdog so he felt better about himself. The story finished on a happy note, but I still thought it was pretty pathetic. I mean, why do people feel they have to play dress-up with their four legged friends? No self respecting cat would put up with such nonsense and I'm sure the misguided person would quickly realize that he or she had make a huge mistake. This would be quite clear after the cat had scratched a layer of skin off a hand or shredded the sleeve of a shirt! Now a dog, on the other hand, is usually so darn anxious to please his person that he will put up with the unwanted apparel. I'll grant you that some of those extremely small, pocket-size pups have so little hair that they might need a covering on a frigid day; otherwise, they'd turn into a K-9 popsicle. But no big, hairy, slobbering dog could possible feel comfortable in such a getup. In fact, it would restrict the animal's movement and be very uncomfortable. So, why play dress up? I'm not sure what need it fulfills in a human's makeup. Perhaps, if she is a woman, she never got over playing dress-up with her dolls. But I don't know what a guy's excuse could possibly be. Either way though, I fear in most instances the person doesn't really have the dog's best interests in mind. I think the misguided individual thinks the dog looks cute because he is wearing the latest doggy dress style. Oh spare me! That's why, whenever I see a pooch all decked out in some type of colorful frippery, I shake my head, smile and think, "Thank God I'm a cat!" Sammy shares living quarters with Bob Walch. Not only does Bob provide the basic essentials for this loquacious feline but he occasionally offers editorial assistance. Find more of the Maine Coon's musings at CoastTraveler.com. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.