It won’t make you love them any less, but you may be alarmed to know that your beloved dog could be spoiling your image after becoming popular with the ‘new money’ set.
Affluent pet owners are gravitating towards canine companions to match their ‘greige’ home décor or look cute in their snaps from the latest Instagrammable restaurant.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, etiquette expert Laura Windsor has revealed the top seven breeds favoured by the nouveau riche – with cockapoos and French bulldogs, perhaps unsurprisingly, featuring on the list.
However, even those who have no interest in posing with a pet on social media cannot be complacent.
Your might assume that corgis, beloved of the late Queen, are an ‘old money’ dog – and indeed a decade ago they were placed on the Kennel Club’s most vulnerable breed list due to declining popularity.
Now, however, they are enjoying a resurgence for those with upper-class aspirations who think the royal association will elevate their status an extra notch.
Here, Laura reveals which pooch will instantly identify you as a parvenu, and the furry friends that will always be a hallmark of upper crust taste.
NEW MONEY…
1. French Bulldog
This high-maintenance breed ends up racking up a lifetime of vet bills due to controversial breeding; which guarantees a compact pup with a flat, large head and tiny body. Ex-Love Islander Olivia Bowen with her Frenchie Winnie
Tiny, trendy French Bulldogs appeal to affluent owners who are willing to pay upwards of £3,000 for a cute, wrinkly face they can document on social media.
This high-maintenance breed ends up racking up a lifetime of vet bills due to controversial breeding; which guarantees a compact pup with a flat, large head and tiny body.
Regardless, following a boom in popularity during the Covid lockdown, they have replaced pugs as the ‘cute-ugly’ dog du jour.
2. Afghan Hound
Every Instagram model is clad head to toe in 70s-style bell bottoms and polyester ‘silk’ shirts. So what better accessory than a quintessential retro Afghan Hound to complete the image?
A glamorous high-maintenance canine requiring weekly visits to the grooming parlour, they provide the perfect excuse to blame the dog for your own expensive upkeep…
3. Shih Tzu
Long-living, easy to transport, and affectionate, a Shih Tzu is the perfect companion for those constantly fleeing the country to either party in Ibiza or live it up in Dubai –
And there’s no shortage of dog-friendly hair clips you can buy for them!
4. Cockapoo
Former Love Islander Siannise Fudge has flaunted her teddy bear-esque cockapoo on social media
With their teddy bear-esque coats and Instagram-perfect curls, cockapoos are the ideal dogs to have their own achingly cute social media accounts – and many do.
Nala Bear Fudge, belonging to Love Island contestants Siannise Fudge and Luke Trotman, and Ginger Humes whose ‘mum and dad’ are Marvin and Rochelle are among the dog-fluencers bringing in those extra followers for their proud ‘paw-rents’.
If this concept makes you feel slightly nauseous then that’s nothing compared to how you’d feel when presented with the vet’s bill for one of these adorable balls of fur.
Owners complain they’ve been floored by extortionate costs as a result of recurring health issues as well as being forced to deal with ultra-clingy ‘Velcro’ dogs – Cockapoos being another lockdown trend.
As for the owners who splashed out thousands only to find out their dog isn’t actually a real Cockapoo? Very new money!
5. Chow Chow
The perfect new money accessory at a ski trip – alongside white fluffy ear muffs, or a ski suit emblazoned with Louis Vuitton logos – a Chow Chow dog is another designer breed that requires lots of maintenance.
These dogs are made for snow and spectacle – plenty of space to prance, bound, skid – and look dramatically chic against a white backdrop.
Their dense double coats make them look like adorable little bears. The hundreds you’re spending on regular grooming appointments are worth it just to get the perfect après ski photo.
6. Whippet or greyhound – but only in the country
Their elegant stance looks best against a tasteful country backdrop, tailored knits and wellies, not bustling city pavements. Pictured, celebrity hairdresser George Northwood (who has worked with Lily Collins, Claudia Winkleman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Julianne Moore) with his whippets
These couch-potato sprinters with sleek silhouettes would only be considered ‘nouveau riche’ in the countryside – perhaps belonging to owners trying to cosplay quiet ‘old money’.
Their elegant stance looks best against a tasteful country backdrop, tailored knits and wellies, not bustling city pavements.
7. Corgi
Once the darlings of a most beloved Queen, these quirky companions carry an effortless regal legacy.
An instant status booster, they are the perfect choice for aspiring sophisticates, who will likely dedicate an entire Instagram page to their ‘floofball’.
8. Saluki
While they’re sociable dogs who need loads of space, training and rigorous exercise, their elegant look is likely to appeal to the nouveau riche who are keen to make an immediate impression. Celebrity hairdresser Ken Paves pictured with his Saluki
If you attempt to describe this breed, you would be compelled to use terms that describe a size-eight fashion model – sleek silhouette, long, slender legs, and thin-waisted.
While they’re sociable dogs who need loads of space, training and rigorous exercise, their elegant look is likely to appeal to the nouveau riche who are keen to make an immediate impression.
They’re popular with royals too – in the ultimate new money nation, Dubai.
Old money…
Labrador & Golden Retriever
Excitable, reliable and unassuming – Labradors are a family-favourite breed, with their timeless appeal.
But perhaps they’re not ‘trendy’ enough for those who prize novelty over classiness.
They’re not an exciting new breed to show off on social media – and may be too muddy for a breige Molly-Mae-style house.
Portuguese Water Dog
Intelligent and athletic, the Portuguese Water Dog is fun-loving but a little too hairy and sloppy for some.
After all, a pooch that loves to swim and splash about in water is going to be too much fuss for an owner that needs to post a sleek photo of their tidy dog obediently sitting by them in a pet-friendly pub or cafe.
Border Collie
You can take the Border Collie off the farm, but can you take the farm out of the Border Collie? As expert sheep herders, they’re dogs that need a job and purpose.
But why work on a farm when you can just stay near one, while you glamp, with a G-Wagon ready to take you to and from a ‘rustic’ getaway with ‘yurts’ aplenty.
Jack Russell
Jack Russells, happy and gaseous, are known for their terminal yapping, and boundless energy. All the above makes them an unlikely choice for the new money club; they’re not exactly a pooch you can comfortably bring to brunch, after all!
Irish Wolfhound
While the breed has inspired generations of artists across literature, poetry and mythology, these romantic associations seem like a distant memory.
With their hard coats – rough across the head, body, and legs – wiry beards and veils of hair across the eyes, there’s very little about them that invites cuddling (or showing off at social occasions).
Out of fashion
Chihuahua
Chihuahuas are too outdated a breed for the nouveau riche, being overly linked to reality stars of the Y2K era. Demi Moore pictured with her Chihuahua Pilaf in November
While they may seem to be the perfect accessory for a rich owner that loves to show off all their spoils a la Paris Hilton in the 2000s, Chihuahuas are too outdated a breed for the nouveau riche, being overly linked to reality stars of the Y2K era.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terriers are popular in postcodes new money folk wouldn’t dare be caught in – and are synonymous with grey tracksuit pants and tattoos that they daren’t wear. So while the dogs are themselves fun-loving and obedient if trained well, they wouldn’t fit in with the desired aesthetic.
Miniature Daschund
They were the quintessential dog of the noughties, but the new money of today wants them fluffier and more akin to a teddy bear. Kylie, who is better known for her family of Italian greyhounds, pictured with a Mini Daschund
They were the quintessential dog of the noughties, but the new money of today wants them fluffier and more akin to a teddy bear for that perfect Insta pic – meaning these adorable pups don’t hold much stock here. And with the arrival of the Cockapoo on the scene – they were no longer the cute, small dog of the moment.
German Shepherd
Intelligent and obedient, German Shepherds may have been a fad of the 90s, but today, their size and abundance of hair might make it a harder sell for the affluent, who don’t have time to primp and preen their dogs unless they’re going to show them off online. Aloof and suspicious of strangers – especially anyone who comes too close to their human companions – they can certainly make for worthy guard dogs. Then again, that’s exactly what alarms and security services are for, right?
