I'm not going to attempt to tell a petsitter and owner of a dozen animals what is and isn't a happy dog, or debate whether you can tell no matter what the breed is.
I'd have to agree in this one - this is just a photo, and on second look, because their ears are covered and they are sitting, looking up at the camera, it can be hard to tell whether they are happy or sad.
I will maintain, however, that if I am around a dog and they are wearing clothes, I can tell whether they are happy or sad about it. Thurston seems to not mind, or sometimes even enjoy it, which is why I have no problem with him walking around looking adorable.
We once had a friend who liked to put hats on his dog. The dog always whined pathetically and then took it off at the first possible chance. The owner kept putting it back on and scolding the dog for "bad behavior". It was a sad sight.
As someone who has put funny things on my rabbit to take a photo, and picked them up when they don't want to be, and continues to do such things - it's all part of pet ownership, and I totally dig that. Much the same way that Greg likes to tickle me or otherwise bug me. It's funny for a bit and then it's really annoying so he stops (or I seriously injure him).
I picked up Lito last night and held her for a bit. When she got too squirmy I went to put her down and she totally kicked me in the stomach. A rabbit can really hurt you, and herself, if she's pissed off. She then did what we call "pissed off kicks" as she ran back into her cage, which is a blatantly obvious way of saying she was mad at me. Yet I continue to pick her up every now and then, but not too often nor for too long, as a compromise between the cuddling I want and the freedom she wants.
The caveat is that I don't want to make her unhappy for very long, which is why in my view, costumes that strap on and stay on for hours should be on pets that enjoy it. In that case, they really are cute.
