Almost every child knows the famous song “How Much is That Doggie in the Window,” from the 1950s. In fact, it’s known the world-over.
“When I recorded that song more than 50 years ago, ‘Doggie in the Window’ seemed like a sweet and harmless message and everyone still thought the corner pet store was just a place to see adorable puppies,” Patti Page, the original singer of the song (shown above) says in this YouTube video made by the Humane Society of the United States.
What most people don’t know is that in 2009 Patti Page re-recorded her famous song with a new twist – shelter dogs. The new song, titled “Do You See That Dogging in the Shelter?” was Page’s way of changing the focus of her song from dogs sold in pets stores to those waiting in shelters for forever homes.
“Now the puppies in pet stores may still be adorable, but most of them come from puppy mills so I changed my tune,” Page says. “I want this song with new lyrics ‘Doggie In The Shelter’ to become an anthem for homeless pets and animal shelters.”
“Patti Page wanted her famous tune to be no longer about pet stores, many of which get their pets from unethical and cruel puppy mills, but for animal shelters and homeless animals instead,” Michael Chin, a representative for SPCA Singapore told iHeartDogs.com.
Songwriter Chris Gantry took Page’s famous song and changed the lyrics to reflect the lives of shelter dogs. Gantry is a passionate dog lover himself, he reflects on how his late dog, a chi-mix named Tito, taught him.
“When he passed I realized Tito has been my master the whole time because of the wealth of everything he taught me really kicked in after he left,’ Gantry says in a YouTube video about the project. “And that’s what dogs do, they become our teachers.”
The SPCA Singapore has made it their mission to get her song, as well their companion children’s book, known the world-over, just like the original song was.
“We want to make ‘Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter?’ the universal anthem for homeless animals Patti Page meant it to be,” Chin said.
The book, “Do You See That Doggie in the Window,” is being placed 23 libraries throughout Singapore, and the SPCA is in talks with several pre-schools and primary schools, where the book will be used as educational material.
Hear the full song here:
We definitely agree this is better than the old version! Page passed away in 2013, but we hope her new legacy can outshine her old one. Please help the SPCA Singapore do just that by SHARING this post.
