Jerseys a howling success

Sam models some of Canine Spirit's gear for Carolyn Cresswell. Photo / Richard Robinson

Now you can deck your hairy mate out in official Rugby World Cup 2011 merchandise. An Auckland business has been given the go-ahead to brand its dog jerseys and collars with the tournament's logo.

Canine Spirit, a North Shore company, will brand dog identification cards, travel bowls, blankets and fleece jumpers with the RWC 2011 logo.

Business owner Carolyn Cresswell said people spend a lot of money on their dogs.

She said the pet industry was one of the few to grow during the recession and was "booming" at the moment.

"Dogs are our best mates, who better to watch the rugby with? We play rugby with our dogs, so we have drinking bowls for dogs to hydrate on the sideline."

Canine Spirit also sells a range of products such as dog booties, backpacks and lifejackets that are imported from suppliers in the US.

Dog booties are the company's most popular selling product because they protect the dogs' paws when walking on hard terrain and on boats, Ms Cresswell said.

The booties were also used by fire services during the Victoria bush fires to protect the search and rescue dogs from burning their paws.

Canine Spirit aims to start selling branded products by the end of November in time for Christmas shopping.

RWC 2011 licensing executive Clare Harker said since 2008 more than 1000 proposals have been received and companies were still sending in proposals looking for licences to brand their products with the logo.