Should our furry friends wear dog costumes? Commercially it’s the second biggest holiday of the year – surpassed only by Christmas! We don’t like to leave our furry friends out, but should dogs wear Halloween costumes – what do you think? Share your views below.
The least you can do to dress up your dog
A scarf, hat or simple vest? Seems to work for the dog who doesn’t like to dress up. At all.
Of course, the hat and scarf can be pretty goofy, or just the standard neckerchief type.
And then there’s THIS.. awesome idea found on Petfinder’s Pinterest Page. Make your own dog collar for Halloween or any time of the year, by simply cutting apart a no-longer-needed child’s shirt. (Don’t forget thrift shops like Value Village for great finds) … Modern Dog advises: “Unpick the collar from the shirt at the neckline. You can also cut off the collar but if you go this route you will need to sew a hem around the cut edge to prevent it from fraying. Alternatively, you can finish the cut edge with decorative trim using a fabric glue like Tacky Craft Glue. Sooo cute!
Homemade costumes that are a little more complex
Google homemade pet costumes and you’ll find zillions of cute, fun ideas including all these at Pinterest’s Coolest Parties/Pet Halloween Costumes. Or check out the simpler page from POPsugar: 65 Pet Costumes to DIY on the Cheap.
Purchased costumes
You can go really crazy here, with costumes for your Morkie for almost any theme you can think of … PETSMART has some great costumes, and they’re 75% off right now.
Yes or no to dogs wearing Halloween costumes?
Not looking very happy!
It really comes down to what your little companion will tolerate, and how comfortable he or she is in a costume. At one place I worked (a busy ad agency), we had a Halloween doggy dress-up day which was tons of fun, but the dogs were in costume for just 20 minutes or so for their through-the-office parade. That was plenty. We all were amused and then the dogs could go back to being dogs … who worked in advertising.
If you already dress your Morkie in sweaters, shirts and so on, he might be OK to leave a costume on for longer. A costume that doesn’t interfere with walking or running is best, and it’s always a good idea to try out the costume for a few minutes at a time for the week or two before Halloween. Let your Morkie sniff out the costume before she puts it on.
A few more tips…
- if your dog isn’t comfortable with big groups or loud noises, skip the neighbourhood or mall pet parade
- if you are going outside your home, don’t forget water and a dish
- keep extra care of the leash and be sure your Morkie can’t escape; too much excitement may make him run off
- be extra vigilant that your Morkie doesn’t get even a sniff of chocolate – a single square of dark baker’s chocolate can actually kill a small dog like a Morkie!
- WATCH FOR candles in jack o’ lanterns and the like… the American Humane Society reports that this is a very dangerous time for dog burns and poisoning
- finally, have fun….. after all, that’s the idea, right?
So what do you think? Costumes or not?