The Best Pet Costumes Ever

Happy Halloween!
For your Halloween gift from Kelly and I, check out these great costumed pet pix from "Hello Kitty, Teen Wolf & More: The Funniest Costumes for Pets ," The Huffington Post.











Does wearing Halloween costumes embarrass pets? Experts disagree, according to this Houston Chronicle report.

Howling Halloween Tips for Pets

Sunday is Halloween. Here's Kelly in her lovely red wig (dressing up like her sister, who is a redhead.) You may be preparing costumes for the kids, stocking up on the good candy to hand out, or just planning on just hiding in a dark room and avoiding the whole thing. Either way, the candy, the knocks on the door, and all that excitement is sure to take a toll on the dog.

From Christy Howard for boston.com, here are some Safety Tips for Pets on Halloween.

1. If your dog is staying home to "help" you hand out treats, keep your dog in another room during trick-or-treating hours. If I let ours greet every kid for three hours, they would be so tired they probably wouldn't get up the next morning.

2. Give your dogs a new treat or toy to occupy their time; you don't want the dog to feel like they are being punished.

3. If you are dressing up your dog in a costume, they should be able to walk without any interference to their gait. This also means you need to be able to put a leash on the dog. You have to watch that the costume doesn't interfere with the collar or leash area.

4. Make sure the dog's vision is not impaired while wearing the costume.

5. If you are taking your dog out trick or treating, make sure you watch your dog so they don't ingest any dropped candy or that people don't feed your dog candy. Aside from the fact that chocolate is toxic to dogs, the wrappers of even candy without chocolate can be harmful if ingested by your dog.

Thank you Christy for your great article. Check out the complete article for more.

And here's a tip of my own:
Before trick or treaters arrive, we take the screen out of our screen door. That way we can just hand out the candy through the open part, and the bottom half of the door is solid so Kelly won't accidentally slip out an open door.

What are your Halloween tricks and treats for your pets?

Wednesday Pet Roundup

Hi and Welcome to Wednesday Pet Roundup! This is Pepe, my friend's wonderful Vermont kitty.

* Looking for a good dog book? Go to the always-fascinating Life With Dogs blog and enter to win a copy of The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant.

* More contests! Got a great Halloween costume for your pet? Enter Petsmart's Halloween Costume photo contest by October 23rd. Also, The Daily Kibble Halloween pet photo contest.

* Sad that this even has to be a consideration: The Miami Herald reports that the Palm Beach FL animal shelter is one of many across the country halting adoption of black cats until after Halloween. Read more about black cats and Halloween in this Minneapolis Star Tribune article.

* The Peninsula Humane Society& SPCA in California is offering a discount on adoption fees for black and/or orange cats, however. These cats, of which there are about 50 currently, may be adopted for only $9. Why? To honor the San Francisco Giants National League Division Series victory. The team colors are orange and black. Time for Giants football fans to adopt a mascot cat!

* Let's end with a smile. Does your pet smile? A picture is worth a thousand words. Healthy & Green Living compiled these smiling pet photos.

Wednesday Pet Roundup

Hi and welcome to Wednesday Pet Roundup (formerly Monday Pet Roundup!) Here's Kelly relaxing on one of our fall walks.

* Are these animal and pet photos adorable or ugly? Decide for yourself in this Huffington Post article. (me: Pygmy hippo--adorable. Naked mole rat--ugly)

* October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. When visiting a shelter, you will surely have many questions about a perspective dog. When it comes to adopting, however, remember that a good shelter may ask YOU many more questions than you ask them. CBSnews.com offers this tip and more.

* When adopting a dog, you will likely look for a pup with a sunny disposition. Can you predict a puppy's optimism or pessimism? If so, according to an article on msnbc.com, researchers say it may help determine potential for separation anxiety. This may be helpful information when selecting a dog to adopt.

* Pet beds made from recycled water bottles, cat litter trays made from old hangers...The Baltimore Sun tells us that these are some great new products Wal-Mart is offering as a result of the store's sustainability initiative.

* Here's a Halloween contest for you and your pet. Just send Petango Pet Stores a photo of your pet in a great Halloween Costume and you might win a brand new iphone4, loaded with Petango's "Find a Pet" iphone app. Good luck!

What about you? Which animals did you find adorable or ugly? Is your pup a pessimist or an optimist? And paws up and be counted, all you shelter dogs and pound puppies--give us a woof and let us know you're here! (Happy adopt a shelter dog month!)

Does your pet do costumes?

Howl-oween is almost here, and the big question is: does your pet wear a costume, or not?

** Pet costume photos from Costume Craze.

After years of struggling with my infant daughter to stop ripping off her bonnet (Can you believe I made a child wear bonnets? What was I thinking, we were in Little House on the Prairie?) I'm not endeared to the idea of forcing anything small and cute into an outfit against their will. But, if the dog is into it, then why not? Extra attention for a pooch is always a good thing.

I'm guessing that those who are into dressing up for Halloweeen are also those who enjoy dressing their pets up for Halloween. I'm not big on costumes myself, so I rarely put a costume on my dog. I don't think Kelly would go for it anyway. But I must admit, I did just see the cutest reindeer costume in Target's bargain bins for $2.50, and at that price, I figured why not give it a try? But when I got it home and held it up to 28-lb Kelly, it was too small. Oh darn.

Numerous parades and parties for your canine trick or treaters abound. This Halloween pet event in the St. Louis area benefits humane shelters.

Buzzfeed posts some amusing pictures of creative dog costumes. Some of the dogs, such as Orange Juice Dog and Eaten by an Anaconda Dog seem to be enjoying their outfits. Others, such as Milipede Dog and Pot Roast Dog, not so much.

If you want to help your pet feel comfortable while on display, ArkAnimals offers these tips to train your pet to wear a Halloween costume.

Finally, in addition to costumes, there is also "creative grooming." Woman's Day offers these photos of painted poodles and otherwise wackily-groomed pooches. As Woman's Day reports, "we don't condone it, we just report it."

Last dog in costume photo, I promise!

(Until next year.)

Little, a Chihuahua dressed up to look like a three-headed dog, won "Best in Show" at a dog costume contest and parade in Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace held October 25, 2008.

—Photograph by Lisa Poole/AP

Poor dog

(via Go Fug Yourself)

Catahedron

If you start now, you might have this for next year!

(via Mental floss)

Arnold's Halloween

Thanks to Penny for this great photo!

This has to be the ultimate dog costume

This is Rina dressed as "Tails" of Mother Goose

(Thanks to an anonymous e-mailer)

There are many more Dogs in Costume here

Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade

The annual Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade in Long Beach's Belmont Shore was held this past Sunday drawing more than 600 costumed dogs and thousands of onlookers.

Event organizers say it is the world's largest Halloween pet event, but whatever it is, one thing rings true: these dogs are cute.

Here are some of the cute dogs LAist photographer Tom Andrews saw...







Photography by Tom Andrews

(via LAist)

Is your pet ready for Halloween?

These pets are ready for the Halloween 2008 ...

Is your pet ready?


More dogs in costumes ...


More cats in costumes ...


More pets in costumes ...

Got a costume? Get your camera!

In honor of “Howl-O-Ween,” the web site PetSource.org is hosting a photo contest showcasing the greatest pet Halloween costumes.

Whether your pet is a cute pumpkin or a scary ghost inside their haunted doghouse, they want to see them in their best costumes! The winner, which is voted on by the public, will receive a slew of pet products as well as a $1,000 donation to the local Humane Society or animal shelter of their choice. Celebrate this spooky holiday with your pet while also supporting a great cause!

Submit your own entry

Dressing up a doggie? Put pooch's safety first

About 7 percent of dog owners say they have purchased a Halloween costume for their pet, up from 4 percent in 2004, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

If you're part of that trend, beware of the hazards of costumes for our furry friends.

Some tips:

• Be sure that straps aren't buckled too tightly, because they might constrict air passages and cause choking.

• Make sure the costume lets the animal move comfortably and does not restrict vision or hearing.

• Don't let your pet chew on the costume; it may contain dangerous dyes and other chemicals.

• Make sure no part of the costume is flammable.

• A reflective costume adds to safety after dark.

If you do dress up your dog on Halloween night, don't have him wear the costume for too long. And always keep dogs on a leash, as there are lots of distractions around.

One final warning: Don't let dogs or other animals get close to a candlelit jack-o-lantern.

It could be dangerous for the animal and become a fire hazard.

Dogs in costume

Photo: AP/Lisa Poole)

Cats in Costume

Photo: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno

Halloween Costume Contest

Pal is a 10 year old Great Dane, dressed up for Halloween as a race horse complete with her friend Snap the Chihuahua as her jockey.

Does your dog have a great Halloween costume? Then enter the Second Annual PupLife.com Dog Halloween Photo Contest. If your dog’s photo is chosen, you could win a $25, a $50
or even a $100 Gift Certificate. Hand made costumes are encouraged, but store bought costumes are fine, too.

Video: Lobster dog

Lobster man

(via)

Need a Costume?

(via)