“I got this entire outfit from Gap because it’s cheap maternity,” says Melissa Keller, 32 of Silver Lake, posing with her 1-year-old chihuahua, Pepper Bear. “I don’t wear your really nice clothes. I always get trashed at the dog park. One of my dogs likes to roll in mud and then she comes in the car and tries to get on my lap.” (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Elisa Schoemehl hugs her chihuahua mix, Sparky. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Dominique Brown, 25, of Silver Lake, with Thaler, her 1-and-a-half-year-old mix. Dominique is wearing Grey Ant overalls, an undershirt and a bandanna and turquoise ballet flats, saying, “I have my dog park shorts and my dog park jeans and that’s about it.” Thaler has a winter vest for when she’s cold. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Jack Whittbold, 28, of Mt. Washington, who laughs and says he’s clearly here to “dress to impress,” is wearing a shirt from a swap meet, cut-off Dickies and Rainbow sandals. He poses with Rucca, a Karelian bear dog. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
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“He’s the best dog ever; all he wants do do is play fetch,” Lauren Schneider of Hollywood says of Sparky, a chow / golden retriever mix.
Lauren’s wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and sandals, “a poor choice,” she says of her footwear. “because dog parks are not known for their cleanliness.” Think Sparky’s cute enough to be an addition to your family? He’s actually up for adoption. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Shenit Hernandez, 21, of Echo Park, poses with Moe, 3, a mixed terrier. Shenit’s dress hails from American Apparel and her boots were a Goodwill find. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Harry Girard of Santa Barbara with his 19-year-old bichon frise. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Lucy Ibarra, 31, offers clothing advice for dog park newcomers: “Don’t wear your nice clothes. I got peed on once.” She’s wearing gym clothes in this picture with labrador mix Echo and terrier mix Mala. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
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Jenny Yu, 30, is in Gap. But her 6-year-old Yorkshire terriers Tigger and Pink are in Puma tank tops. “I think they should all dress up their dogs,” Yu says. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Echo Park’s Ali Lee, 25, and Bryan Hollon, 36, pose with Babel the Boston terrier, 2 1/2. Bryan’s T-shirt is from Blood is the New Black. Ali’s dress is from Urban Outfitters and she wears Unearthen crystal necklaces. She says that she made a poor shoe choice, but that “we weren’t even planning on coming here.” (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
“Don’t wear shoes you care about,” says Chantell LaVerdiere, 23, of Santa Monica, who wears a Calvin Klein shirt and custom-made Nike‘s as she poses with Doberman pinschers Beretta and Benelli, both 1. “Don’t wear anything that can be see-through if wet, and bring hand sanitizer. You can have very cute hand sanitizer accessories if you go to the Kate Moss store.” (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Jon Lindsey, 30, of Hollywood, likes to “keep it dirty” in the dog park and is wearing “a bunch of trash” as he poses with Gustave Flaubert, a 3-year-old French bulldog. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
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Beth Capper, of Silver Lake, is wearing Max Mara and her “dog clogs.” Kosmo, a bichon frise-and-terrier-mix is from the Downey animal shelter. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Lindsey Schwartz, 24, of Los Angeles, offers dog park dressing tips: “Don’t wear white. It will get paw prints all over it.” She’s wearing Forever 21 shorts, a vintage shirt and boots and Marc Jacobs glasses. Johnny, her dachshund-German shepherd mix, is 1. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Daniel Resch, 22 (left), and Johnique Shackelford, 23, both of Silver Lake, with Gonzo, a Pomeranian-chihuahua mix -- whom Johnique likes to dress up in “pirate-y things.” As for the people, Daniel is waring a vintage motorcycle, an American Apparel tank, Levi’s pants and a black fedora. Johnique’s sporting a Forever 21 hat, a vintage shirt and shoes and American Apparel pants. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
“Sometimes I put a tutu on her,” Galina Tramposch, 26 of Mar Vista, says of Louise, her 7-month-old Pomeranian. “[But] only when it’s been a really rough day -- for her or me.” (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
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“I came straight from tennis,” says Ewa Pocztowska, of Santa Monica, thus explaining her Adidas hat, shorts and shoes and a Nike shirt. She pets Aphrodite, a shepherd-husky mix. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Amelia Tang, 17, of Mar Vista, is wearing Colin Stuart wedges, a vintage skirt and an Anthropologie skirt. She pets a husky. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)
Katarina Moore, 30, of Venice, in a BCBG Max Azria dress, Tory Burch sandals and Gucci glasses. She says that she has dressed Troy, her 2-year-old French bulldog, up as a the devil and as “poison” -- but only for Halloween. (Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times)