I had one reaction to Janice Kajanoff's sporty, artfully designed dog jackets. I wanted one. Not for my dogs, who have plenty of fur, and honestly, won't appreciate neon-orange ribbon-trim from Paris. For me. You just don't see sportswear for people designed and sewn with as much care as these coats for dogs.

Kajanoff is one of many Seattleites who in mid-life let her work go to the dogs. Here's the CliffsNotes version. She had been designing and sewing custom clothing for women for three decades, when her husband died about two years ago. It turned life upside down. She took stock, and thought to herself: "Life is never going to be the same. You either fear it or embrace it." As you probably guessed, she went for the big embrace.

The first thing she did was focus on her own health. She learned to row, and joined a rowing team at Lake Union Crew. Her teammates are a source of support and inspiration.

Next, she set her career sites on producing a product. On the QT, Kajanoff had been whipping up outfits for her bulldog (including a Sherlock Holmes getup) and altering tuxedos for pups attending Tuxes & Tails. So when a friend and client with an Italian Greyhound (known as Iggies to fans) suggested she create dog clothes, especially for sighthounds, it wasn't a totally far-out idea. Truth is: Whippets, Greyhounds, Iggies and Salukis need coats and sweaters because they have little fur and fat for insulation but their high, curved backs, long necks and thin bodies are notoriously tough to fit.

Kajanoff spent more than a year engineering details -- like a thin drapery weight on the back end to keep the jacket from riding up on active dogs. She created and fitted countless prototypes on friends' dogs. Soon doggy jackets were crowding satin wedding gowns in her basement workshop. Last year, Zentek Clothing Company was born.

At $125 for the standard curved-back or straight-back jacket, Zentek garb is on the pricey end of the canine clothes spectrum. But in this case you get what you pay for. Kajanoff uses serious performance fabric -- breathable, water-resistant, 2-ply rip-stop nylon and heat-regulating Comfortemp (inspired by the earmuffs she wears when she rows).

In some ways, she's doing what she's always done: solving problems through design. Except, she says, "the dogs never ask if it makes them look fat!"

You can see Zentek jackets for yourself at Next to Nature in West Seattle and Edmonds, Crown Hill Pet Supply in north Ballard, and Urban Beast in the Cascade neighborhood. If this inspires a case of pet envy, dog owners may get their due. Kajanoff is making noises about designing a similar jacket for women.

From dogsledding in Fairbanks to tracking down lost pups with a pet detective in Fresno, Pet Dish blogger Lisa Wogan explores the world of dogs and their people for Bark magazine, and in books such as Unleashed: Climbing Canines, Hiking Hounds, Fishing Fidos, and Other Daring Dogs. She lives in Seattle with rescue dogs Lulu and Renzo.

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