The Rebirth of the pet girl

The Renaissance was a rebirth of Western Europe in that the knowledge of the past, long held only in the muslim east, was rediscovered in the Christian kingdoms of central and western Europe.

Along with ancient Roman and Greek knowledge and philosophies came a renewed focus on the pet girls of old. Stories of the great pet empresses of Rome and Constantinopol, the opulent court of Egypt, all influenced the noble houses, who tried to model themselves after them. This was especially pronounced in Italy.

Unlike the Holy Roman Empire, which had fully adopted pet heraldry or the Frankish pony girls, the Italian and other southern noble houses had kept closer to the Roman traditions of pet girls.

The most important change, however, was the emergence of the citizen class in the urban centers. Throughout the continent, cities grew, and a new class of free and increasingly wealthy citizenry established itself.

These merchants, tradesmen and bureaucrats were very keen on adapting aspects of the noble culture to themselves in order to show their newfound status. Of course, they wouldn't dare to completely intrude on the high culture of their betters. However, the wives of wealthy men began a fashion of wearing animal ears and collars to public events.

Unlike their noble counterparts, they remained clothed and standing as befitted their status as simple people. As such, this fashion trend was tolerated by the aristocracy and indeed quickly spread throughout the major cities of the continent.

It became fashionable for middle-class women to wear pet ears and, increasingly also simple clip on tails in public. In the progressive Netherlands, it even became a trend for husbands to lead their wives on leashes, as the aristocrats did.

That said, true pet girls remained strictly in the purview of the blue blooded nobles and even the trend of 'pet dressing' as it came to be known was forbidden in many of the more conservative domains of the holy roman empire.