Gwent pet owners spend thousands on outfits for their pampered pooches and chicly-dressed cats, as HANNAH WOOD found out.

HAVING a pet is simply not enough for some Gwent people - they have to show their love their their furry friends by dressing them to impress.

And one animal lover from Newport has opened the city’s first fashion store for pets.

Emma Saunders, 32, from St Julian’s, launched Furry Babies Boutique, Newport’s first pet fashion store, on Chepstow Road last week.

The boutique specialises in fashion items for dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals. Handmade raincoats, harnesses, dog shoes, umbrellas, prams and bomber jackets are just some of the items in stock along with a lick ‘n’ mix section full of edible treats.

The shop is proving popular among those who have a soft spot for their furry friends, so when the Argus asked to hear from those who love to dress their pet up to the nines, it’s hardly surprising that we were inundated with responses.

Dog lover Leanne Couch, 29, spends more than £10,000 a year on her White Maltese dog, Lucy.

Mrs Couch has even appeared on national television with her perfectly pampered pooch. Mrs Couch treats 13-year-old Lucy to coats, body warmers and designer dresses.

Lucy has her own pram and is treated to a multi-coloured "fur-do" almost every week.

The mum-of-four from Newport has also bought her furry friend a £300 designer collar, a necklace costing over £100 and she has her own personalised wooden bed.

Mrs Couch, who owns two dog grooming salons called Mucky Pups Spa and Boutique in Chepstow and Cardiff, considers Lucy as part of the family.

“I just love to spoil her, she’s like my baby," she said. "I love to treat her. I just started buying things for her and then carried on and carried on.”

Vici Dwyer-Thomas and Naomi Pesticcio also love to pamper their pets.

Miss Dwyer-Thomas, from Newport, owns a short-haired Jug called Princess, aged one, and loves to buy her a range of outfits including glittery dresses and winter coats.

She said: “I have to keep her dressed up to stay warm. She is perfectly content with it as I've done so since having her at just two months old. I figured if she needs to be dressed, why not make her look fabulous?”

Miss Pesticcio, from Newport, owns a seven-month old pug called Pixxie who owns her own dresses, dressing gown and pearl necklaces.

She started buying accessories and outfits for her pug on the odd occasion and rapidly her love for pet fashion grew from there.

Nigel and Julie Williams from Newport also love to dress up their dog.

Mr and Mrs Williams have a two-and-a-half-year-old Shoodle, a cross between a shihtzu and a poodle, called Archie.

Mr Williams said Archie is often seen wearing the odd outfit or two courtesy of Mrs Williams. He said he has a very good temperament and allows people to alter his look now and again.

But it’s not only dogs who love to get dressed up. Charlotte Kane from Blackwood enjoys making sure her cat Felix is dressed to perfection.

Felix is a six-year-old domestic cat who Miss Kane believes is part British Blue because of the blue tinge in his fur.

Felix has his own coats, fancy dress costumes and even a Yankees jersey.

Miss Kane said: “It’s usually dogs who get dressed up, but Felix loves it. We dress him in all sorts of things and he doesn't seem to mind. He’s more like a human than a cat.”

Pet fashion is becoming increasingly popular with stores like Pets at Home and Argos now selling their own animal clothing lines. Online sites like Ebay and Amazon act as a favourite go-to site for pet lovers to buy and sell animal accessories.

Pet fashion shows are also launching over the world with Paris and New York hosting their own catwalk events for the most stylish of the animal world.

Furry Babies Boutique owner, Mrs Saunders, has wanted to get into the pet product industry for a while and has been working on the idea of launching her own business for the past two years.

“I absolutely adore my three dogs, and always bought clothes and accessories for them on the internet. I’ve got a two-year old pug called Hooch, a one-year-old black pug called Honey and a bulldog called Misty who is eight months old.

“I knew a lot of people who used to shop for these sorts of things online, so wanted to open somewhere local that sold these types of items.”

“I knew of a few places that specialise in dog grooming and sold a few pet fashion items in store, but I think this is the first shop in the area to specialise in selling fashion items. It’s just getting so popular.”

One customer, Linda Morgan visits Furry Babies to buy outfits for her Cocker Westie, Bella, who is eight months old.

Mrs Morgan said: “It’s almost addictive, you start buying one thing, and then it just goes on and on until you have loads of outfits."

Furry Babies Boutique officially opened on October 13 after a launch party with family and friends.

Mrs Saunders, who often has her pets in the store alongside her, said she sells “anything for anyone” from the smallest pug to the biggest bull dog.

“I was running around like a headless chicken trying to get everything ready for the business, but I’m really happy with how it has turned out. It’s been open for three weeks now.”

Having drafted in a loyal group of customers, Mrs Saunders hopes that her business will continue to grow and is currently preparing to launch a website.