How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

I always sing How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?  to my dogs. My grandma used to sing it to us all the time, but I could never remember the words. I was surprised that it was recorded back in 1953 which is way before I was born.

Lyrics

Here are the lyrics to How Much Is That Doggie In the Window?

Written by Bob Merrill and performed by Patti Page

It was released in Jan 1953

“How much is that doggie in the window 

The one with the waggly tail

How much is that doggie in the window

 I do hope that doggie’s for sale

I must take a trip to California

And leave my poor sweetheart alone

If he has a dog he won’t be lonesome

And the doggie will have a good home

How much is that doggie in the window

 The one with the waggly tail

How much is that doggie in the window 

I do hope that doggie’s for sale

I read in the papers there are robbers 

With flashlights that shine in the dark

My love needs a doggie to protect him

And scare them away with one bark

I don’t want a bunny or a kitty

I don’t want a parrot that talks

I don’t want a bowl of little fishes

You can’t take a goldfish for walks

How much is that doggie in the window

 The one with the waggly tail

How much is that doggie in the window 

I do hope that doggie’s for sale

However, although the words are meant to be endearing it really goes against everything we believe in as dog lovers. The singer Patti Page felt exactly the same and recorded an alternative set of lyrics which are shown below.

I am so glad that Patti Page realised that the lyrics to this well-known song are not as innocent as they seem. In fact, the words glorify the horrifying trade of puppy farming.

Therefore, in 2009 she recorded an alternative set of lyrics called Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter? to highlight the plight of homeless dogs.

The new version was written by Chris Gantry.

Source

*Wikipedia

*Humane Society of the United States

The phrase “How much is that doggie in the window?” seemed innocent enough in 1953, but in modern times it has become synonymous with the trade in puppies from pet shops, often originating in puppy mills.^[8][9]

In 2009, Patti Page recorded a version of the song with a new title (“Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter“) together with new lyrics by Chris Gantry, with the hopes of emphasizing the adoption of homeless animals from animal shelters.^[10] The rights to that song were given exclusively to the Humane Society of the United States. Said Page:

“The original song asks the question: ‘How much is that doggie in the window?’ Today, the answer is ‘too much.’ And I don’t just mean the price tag on the puppies in pet stores. The real cost is in the suffering of the mother dogs back at the puppy mill. That’s where most pet store puppies come from. And that kind of cruelty is too high a price to pay.”

 

Upon Page’s death in 2011, the Humane Society wrote in its online eulogy, “We remember her fondly for her compassion for animals.”

“Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter”

Do you see that doggie in the shelter
the one with the take me home eyes
If you give him your love and attention
he will be your best friend for life

In each town and city across the nation,
there’s so many dogs with no home
Hungry with no one to protect them
lost in this world all alone

(repeat chorus)

Collies and beagles by the roadside
puppies and dogs in the street
Once they are rescued by a shelter
they’ll finally get something to eat

Doggies and kitties who are homeless
with sad eyes and tails hanging down
Let’s do what we can to show them kindness
and let them know that they’ve been found

(repeat chorus)

The rights to the newly recorded “Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter” have been donated to The Humane Society of the United States* because of the generosity of everyone involved in the project. We owe a big thank you to Patti Page for the talent that made the first version a classic and will make the new version an anthem for shelter pets;

I had subconsciously been singing a song that goes against all my beliefs. Therefore I am so glad that my research brought me to this new version. I hope the Humane Society’s work continues and the strong, new message is heard.