LONDON or Paris? Milan or New York? Fashionistas differ on which city is the most stylish. For four-legged trendsetters, however, there is a clear winner: Taipei. Dogs strut their stuff on its pavements tricked out in tutus, hoodies, boots, overalls and trousers. A biker’s best friend can be kitted out with a matching motorbike helmet. Pampered pooches have been spotted in LA Dodgers kits (adapted, naturally, to accommodate four legs). In the city’s night markets shops have sprung up with doggie sales staff modelling the wares (your correspondent tried to dig up data on entry-level pay, but found no bones).

A troubling trend is driving the popularity of canine couture: Taiwan’s rock-bottom birth rate. At just 1.1 births per woman, it is far below the replacement rate of 2.1, at which the population would stabilise. Many Taiwanese fear that the growing amount of money and attention lavished on pets stems from the decreasing willingness of young Taiwanese to start a family. Caring for a dog seems to have become a substitute for having children. Dog strollers seem at least as numerous on Taipei’s crowded streets as buggies holding babies.

The baby bust is giving the government paws for thought. The previous president, Ma Ying-jeou, called it a “serious national-security threat”. He tried to encourage child-bearing with cash handouts, more breast-feeding facilities and the like. After all, if Taiwanese youth decides that dogs are less trouble than sprogs—and just as much fun to dress up—then who will defend the democratic island, which Beijing has long claimed as its own?