KITCHENER -- With the pandemic putting a pause on pretty much everything, many special occasion outfits never saw the light of day, like those of viral video star, Tika.
The pint-sized pooch from Montréal has taken over TikTok, with celebrities everywhere imitating her signature line "Love it, couldn’t wear it!"
Willa and Alydar, two sister Italian Greyhounds from Kitchener, are ready to give Tika a run for her money on the doggy fashion scene.
“Tika the Iggy over in Montréal, we've been friends with her for five years or so and she's blown up, which is amazing. We might jump on the bandwagon. We have many outfits,” said Mackenzie Drinkwater Willa and Alydar's owner.
Drinkwater makes the outfits herself. She says with little to no body fat and short hair, Italian Greyhounds tend to get cold quickly.
“You do have to dress them up, it's not just for fashion it is for a purpose. But I have so much fun with it of course,” said Drinkwater.
The burgeoning style icons are also best in show. Willa is a Canadian champion, and Alydar is a Canadian and American Grand Champion.
"They're not that easy to train," Drinkwater said. "These guys are a little aloof so they kind of do their own thing.”
That’s where Brittany Holland comes in. She's a recreational therapist in Waterloo Region and also trains the sisters on the side.
According to Holland, no matter the breed, you have to find out what motivates each dog. For Willa and Alydar, treats do the trick.
With more than 2,000 followers on Instagram, Drinkwater has now taken the leap onto TikTok as well with the motivation of making people smile when they are out for a style stroll
“Oh I love seeing people smile as I walk down the street, that is my favorite thing,” said Drinkwater. “Just to get people's reaction, 'Oh look at that dog dressed up! Oh that dog is better dressed than I am!' Those comments just make me laugh.”
She hopes she can take creating fashionable outfits for Alydar and Willa, from a hobby to a legitimate side hustle moving into 2021.
