Puppy Love: Dolly Parton launches dog apparel line

Dog lovers can purchase everything from feathered pink cowboy hats to faux-pearl collars

Dolly Parton, with a side-swept beehive, poses for a portrait in 1965 in Nashville, Tennessee. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in a floral dress, with Porter Wagoner on the set of his TV show in 1969. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in a jumpsuit and crochet cape, at London Airport on April 16, 1976. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in a denim shirt and headscarf, pictured in London, England, on May 20, 1977. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in a high-necked lace creation, in 1978. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in burgundy velvet, at recording session in 1978. Reuters

Ben Vereen and Dolly Parton, in a strapless gown, attend the 52nd annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on April 14, 1980. Reuters

Dolly Parton, in a pink-fringed blouse, pictured in 1987. Reuters

Dolly Parton, in a black and white blouse and voluminous curls, at a press conference in 1987. Getty Images

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, in a black dress with matching bolero, in 1987. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in an encrusted white gown, at the 14th People's Choice Awards on March 13, 1988, in Los Angeles, California. Reuters

Dolly Parton, in an embellished layered dress, attends the 'Steel Magnolias' premiere on November 9, 1989, in Los Angeles, US. Reuters

Dolly Parton, in a leather skirt and waistcoat, waves during a luncheon in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2000. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in an embroidered yellow jacket, attends the National Press Club luncheon in Washington DC, on March 23, 2000. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in a leather waistcoat, poses during the launch of her new album, 'Little Arrow', in a London record store on February 16, 2001. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in a blue capri-pant suit, poses on October 8, 2002 at the Oxford Street HMV store in London, England. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in an American flag-inspired suit, poses on the South Grounds of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2003. Reuters

Dolly Parton, in a white suit, performs during the 78th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, on March 5, 2006. EPA

Dolly Parton, in a white glittering gown, arrives at the Kennedy Centre Honours gala in Washington, DC, on December 3, 2006. EPA

Dolly Parton, in a beaded green ensemble, at the Magna Science and Adventure Park on December 5, 2007 in South Yorkshire, England. Getty Images

Dolly Parton, in a beaded pink mini with chiffon robe, arrives at the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, US, on June 7, 2009. EPA

Dolly Parton, in a black corseted dress, poses during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on February 11, 2014. EPA

Dolly Parton, in statement orange, performs during a concert to benefit her Imagination Library at The University of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena on May 28, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. AFP

Alyvia Lind and Dolly Parton, in a floral shirt and capri pants, arrive for the NBC Universal summer press tour at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California, on August 13, 2015. EPA

Dolly Parton, in a multi-coloured sequin blazer, attends the 51st annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 3, 2016. EPA

Dolly Parton, in a patterned mini dress, arrives at the premiere of 'Dumplin' at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood, California, on December 6, 2018.

Dolly Parton, in a bedazzled body-con dress, arrives for the MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony in Los Angeles, California, on February 8, 2019. EPA

Dolly Parton, in a sparkly red dress, arrives at the 61st annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2019. EPA

Dolly Parton, in a fringe-trimmed dress, attends the gala evening of '9 to 5: The Musical' at The Savoy Theatre on February 17, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images

Beloved American country music star Dolly Parton has released a new line of pet apparel called “Doggy Parton”.

More than 60 years after the release of her first single, Puppy Love, Parton is continuing to show her love for canines through the fashion line, part of whose proceeds will go towards helping an animal rescue organisation.

“My love for pets is stronger than ever,” Parton said in a video released on Thursday. “This inspired me to start my own line of Doggy Parton apparel, accessories, toys and more with a little Dolly flair.”

Dog-loving fans of Parton's music can purchase everything from feathered pink cowboy hats to faux-pearl collars, electric-pink stiletto chew toys to blonde, Dolly-esque wigs.

“Part of the proceeds will support Willa B Farms, a rescue where animals in need find never-ending love,” Parton said. “Don't we all need that?”

The apparel line is now available on Amazon.

Parton is well known for her love of animals, particularly dogs, which feature prominently in a number of her songs, including Cracker Jack and Gypsy, Joe and Me.

In addition to having provided loving homes for several animals over the years, she credits one of her former canine companions, Popeye, with saving her life.

The singer said that, several years ago, she was going through a particularly difficult moment and was thinking of ending it all. While sitting in her bedroom one afternoon, she pulled out a gun she kept in the bedside table.

“I looked at it a long time,” the singer said in an interview published in Dolly On Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton. “Then, just as I picked it up, just to hold it and look at it for a moment, our little dog, Popeye, came running up the stairs.”

Previously, Parton has been connected to other animal charities, such as the bald eagle sanctuary that stands on the grounds of her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee.

But animals are not her only focus: she has also founded and given generously to several disaster relief and education funds over the decades. More recently, in 2020, she donated $1 million to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.