BAO WOW!

Diva, fashion icon, world traveller it really is a dog's life for this adorable little Chihuahua

- SIPHOKAZI ZAMA

PRIVATE jets, five-star hotels, a cupboard full of designer clothes...

No, this isn't the pampered existence of some rich and famous A-lister - it's the pretty pawfect life of one cute pint-sized pooch.

Three-year-old Bao the Chihuahua and his devoted human, Xa Thi Ngoc Tran, love gallivanting around the world in matching outfits and sharing their exploits and adventures with their fans on social media.

"I never wanted to travel without him because he's my baby boy," says Ngoc, who hails from Toronto, Canada. "He's so well-behaved on flights and enjoys the fuss the cabin [crew] make of him."

On his Facebook page little Bao, who tips the scales at just 2,72kg, describes himself as "a diva, fashion icon and world traveller".

"I like to dress up, travel and dine at pet-friendly restaurants," he adds.

And dress up he does. The feisty fur ball has a designer wardrobe that boasts Chanel coats, Hermès scarves and luxurious silk pyjamas.

His closet, which is filled with 75 carefully curated pieces, is designed to match his owner's - but mostly Ngoc is happy to just stand back and let her pampered pooch take centre stage.

A recent trip to Paris saw Bao paying homage to the French with a striped T-shirt and a red beret.

And when they were in Cancún, Mexico, he was snapped wearing a floral shirt with a pair of sunglasses.

"Since he was a puppy, I've liked to match his clothes to my neutral aesthetic, with trench coats and denim, but Bao is partial to a Hawaiian shirt when on holiday," Ngoc says. "At home he has his own styling rack and he has a bigger wardrobe than me."

NGOC bought Bao from a breeder in 2020 during the pandemic.