ohmidog!

Get real.

The day ohmidog!  has a fall fashion issue will be the day it’s time to hang up the old keyboard. We prefer our dogs big, natural and — except maybe for a spiffy bandana to wipe off the occasional drool and eye boogers — naked. We don’t go in for that frilly stuff.

Though, we have to admit, Jake, the 10-week-old Yorkie-shih-tzu mix pictured above does go well with denim.

And, come to think of it, the brown sweater this Chihuahua was wearing — in addition to blunting Saturday morning’s chill — does seem to nicely pick up the earth tones in his snout.

And perhaps, these pink sunglasses sported by Lily, a one- year-old mutt, do make a playful, yet elegantly sophisticated, statement.

And these were some pretty eye-catching hemp collars from Trail Paws Market — made by a mother and daughter team at their home in Advance, N.C.  (That’s mom, an ohmidog! fan who recognized Ace and waved us down, in the gap between the collars.)

But of all the fashion statements I ran into Saturday, at an event raising money for a new leash-free area in Tanglewood Park, outside of Winston-Salem, my favorite was that made by Robert E. Lee, a three-year-old (that’s a guess) border collie-lab mix (that’s a guess, too).

Wearing an “Adopt Me” vest and a bandana asking the question “Have you kissed your dog today?” he was, at once, goofy and mellow, with a playful, belly-exposing demeanor that suggested he was willing to sacrifice his dignity, or anything else, for some love.

Bobbie, as he’s known, was found tied by a six-foot chain to an abandoned trailer in Surry County, without food or water, last winter.

Since then he’s been living in foster care with Trudy, a volunteer for Surry Animal Rescue. He’s 50 pounds, neutered, crate trained, and loves children (but not squirrels and cats).

For more information about him, contact surryanimalrescue@hotmail.com