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Man’s Best Friend Travels in Fine Style

By Amy Reiley

As anyone with a pint-size pooch or traveling cat knows, Gayle Martz and her Sherpa line of pet totes revolutionized pet travel. Developed more than ten years ago, her tote was the first soft-sided pet carry-bag approved for airline travel.

But until the Spring 2004 line, Martz’s collection always fallowed the form follows function philosophy. Clearly, she’s felt heat from the multitudes of pet boutiques entering the market with ultra-fashionable puppy purses because as of this spring, the Sherpa line will feature a flirtatious new collection of fashion friendly bags.

The Herringbone is a natty version of one of Sherpa’s more streamlined designs, with gun-metal hardware and a faux lambskin finish. The Paris and Safari Collections also offer new takes on old designs. Paris bags are covered in tapestry fabrics and the Safari bags sport zebra stripes.  

But it’s the Montreal design that is really turning heads in the pooch purse world. Designed in faux alligator with mesh panels, the Montreal is the most subtle of Sherpa bags. With its two large, exterior pockets, from a distance the bag looks more like a stylish briefcase than a pet carrier. Available in cognac, black, brown, red and, of course, bone, the bag is a pet’s finest fashion statement.

Good looks, however, are always secondary in choosing a carrier for your most precious cargo. And although the Montreal definitely gets full marks for style, the true test of its merits lie in its functionality. So I asked the most discerning critic I know to give me his candid review.

Although only four months old, my 3-pound Chihuahua, Mr. Big, has already developed into quite the connoisseur of carry totes. Surprisingly, he did not leap as eagerly into the Montreal tote as he has into other bags. This could be due in part to the noxious glue and vinyl smells emitted by the new case. (We hope that a few hours of airing in the sunshine will rid the bag of its less than pleasing odor.)

The bag’s hard sides allow for safe travel and prevent the pup from leaping out. (There is also a leash clip, but because the bag is designed for dogs of up to 10 lbs, the clip is too high to be used for my small pooch).

The Montreal lacks much of the padding featured in many of the older Sherpa totes and on our first outing en Montreal, Mr. Big complained rather vocally until I offered him a soft cloth to help pad the bag’s bottom.          

Beyond a few minor complaints from my critical pup, the Montreal has proven to be an extremely practical bag. Its subtle look makes it easy to sneak my best pal into less than dog-friendly circumstances. And its design, in multiple layers of thick vinyl is extremely useful in muffling barks and whimpers.

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