American Beagle dog clothing line from American Eagle Outfitters smells like a hoax

Lottie Moon is among the American Beagle models. Credit: American Eagle Outfitters
If it's a hoax, it's at least a cute one.
American Eagle Outfitters has announced a new line of matching clothes for dogs and humans, American Beagle, due for a spring release.
“Your dog’s style is another form of expressing your own, and we are thrilled to bring American Eagle fashionable looks to our pups with the debut of American Beagle Outfitters,” AEO style director Preston Konrad said in a press release.
A "dogumentary" on the AE website is immediately suspect. With a serious tone, a woman, clutching her white pooch, bemoans the limited options for canine couture. "Imagine a world where you walk into the mall and there's one store for you and all they have for you are Halloween costumes," she says, wrinkling her brow. "That's what she's dealing with."
What has our beagle noses really twitching is that, after emailing a publicist to inquire if the clothing line is real, newsday.com was told, "We will be able to provide more information next week." Convenient, perhaps, as April Fools Day is Tuesday.
It's an expensive joke if it is one, as the AE website is flush with dogs in fashionable duds, but the company is giving funds to the ASPCA. Purchase a gift card featuring the well-appointed pooches and $1 goes to the animal rescue group.
And AE has certainly crafted a clever marketing campaign. The canines are dressed in quite fetching clothes -- including board shorts and overalls -- with the human versions, naturally, available for purchase.