Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for. Yes I decorate everything I can. I would dress the Cockatiels if they let me.  I would dress my herd of cats, but they run too fast and avoid me successfully every year. The family dog is not so lucky.

Yes it is that time of year again to humiliate our dogs with disgustingly cute and scary dog costumes either store brought or handmade.  Safety has to be the first concern when dressing your cute terrier as a devil dog.  Make sure your dog can do his business in the costume or the costume will become a real horror for you.  The costume your dog wears should be free of loose items the dog could choke themselves on or chew off and become ill from.  You should be aware of hanging strings that could become a strangulation hazard for your dog.  Also be sure store brought costumes are flame retardant if you decorate with candles. Otherwise the same rules apply to the costumes that your buy small children. Do not put costumes on your pet that impair their mobility or block their field of vision. I have never seen a dog wear a face mask well. Stick to hats on your dog’s head, masks cannot be worth the hassle of getting your dog to wear them.

Make sure your kids and the neighborhood kids know not to share people Halloween treats with your cute dressed up dog. Give the kids dog treats to give your dog and neighbor’s dogs on trick or treat night.  Before you trick or treat with your dog make sure they are not freaked out by the whole experience.  No one will think your dog is cute costume or not if they nip a child.  Some dogs have no temperament for this holiday at all so they are best to spend it somewhere in the back of the house. You can also take picture of your dog in a cute costume before the actual day of Halloween and share it with your friends and family.

May sister’s lab, the famous and much beloved big headed dog known as ‘stupid pet’ ,loves wearing costumes and going door to door or greeting kids at the door. He is a majorly laid back dog and looked fabulous last year donning a yellow and black stripped shirt and wings. He was a big bee. He wore antennae on his head nicely too. He is the perfect Halloween dog.  I am dressing my dust bunny dog Nigel as a cat this year to humiliate him.  He is fine as long as I hold him to greet most trick or treaters.  Taking him to show him off at friends usually satisfies my need to dress the poor dog for completely selfish reasons until Christmas.