A dog tries on a new dress at a pet shop in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Wang Jiankang / For China Daily

For Strawberry, a 3-year-old poodle in Beijing, soft toys are just not good enough Christmas gifts. Only haute couture treatment will suffice for this beauty-loving dog who will jump and run around in circles when people praise her as, "Oh, so cute!"

Her owner Xue Chun, a 26-year-old pet clothes designer, runs an online boutique at Taobao.com, China's largest e-commerce site, offering everything from doggy clothes and hats to necklaces and hairpins.

It's all about style, Xue says.

Strawberry is not only the boutique's knockout model, luring thousands of fans, but has also shown up on the covers of many Chinese pet magazines - just like real celebrities.

Her impressive wardrobe is a treasure trove of bikinis, Scottish check skirts, woolen coats, evening dresses, wedding gowns, bathrobes and boots. And she is not the only one.

More Chinese pet owners call themselves "pet parents" and in this new role, naturally, they want only the best for their sweethearts.

Pet products have earned a legitimate place on the shelves of many luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Gucci. Roberto Cavalli also launched its fashion line for pets in 2010.

Victory, a 2-year-old chocolate-colored poodle living in a wealthy Beijing family, has more than 20 Juicy Couture clothes in his closet and dozens of UGG boots as well as Swarovski and Tiffany necklaces, standing appointments with a hairdresser and weekly visits to a pet training school.

He eats macaroni mixed with juicy steak and cheese from a brand-name bowl, has his name etched in gold, and he also has a Louis Vuitton carrier.

Cherry Lin, a sales woman working at an outlet of LEEPET Holding Corp in Beijing, says: "One of my customers spent up to 1,500 yuan ($228) on clothes and accessories for her dog in one go.

"Fashion is fickle, and pet boutiques are no exception," she adds. "I have to read fashion magazines and watch fashion shows all the time to keep myself updated."

According to online boutique owner Xue, "Most customers are young girls in their 20s". Since every girl dreams of being a princess, pink and lace are always in demand.

"Two other groups that are passionate about dressing up their pets are women aged between 32 and 35 who don't have a child, and middle-aged women who have boys," she says.

"Dog owners are crazy about haute couture, no matter how expensive it is. They are eager to flaunt the photos of their well-dressed dogs online as well as when they attend a party with pets or just chat with neighbors.

"It is a bit about vanity and they hate outfit clashes."

A worker at Jitai Pet Hospital in Beijing's Changping district, surnamed Wang, says: "Puppies too are conscious about looks and many prefer to play with those who are as good-looking and trendily dressed."

He says he knows of pups who refuse to go out when their owners have them shaved for some reason or other.

Wang Ran, an editor of Dog Fans magazine, says show dogs, which are bred to ingratiate themselves to their owners, usually have a bright and lively character and a fancy for dressing-up.

"Poodles, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and Yorkshire Terriers love being flattered over their good looks," Wang says.

Dog owners should be discreet when they are choosing clothes for their dogs though, Wang says.

"Clothes made of 100 percent cotton are ideal because some small dogs, like babies, have very sensitive skin. Besides, owners must carefully groom their dogs after taking off their clothes to prevent the knotting of fur that can lead to skin disease," Wang says.

For large work dogs such as Labrador retrievers, Golden Retrievers or Siberian Huskies, functional clothes such as raincoats are best, he says.

"But if you raise dogs like Chow Chows, it's best to leave them alone as these dogs can be very stubborn," Wang says.