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Halloween has always been one of my favorite times of the year...sadly, as I grew older and trick or treating was no longer appropriate, I began to long for the youthful feelings of dressing in costume. What's the next best thing to dressing up yourself? Well, of course the answer is dressing up your child...and if you don't have a child dressing up your dog can be quite a good substitute!

Last year, my Jack Russel Terrier was a pumpkin; complete with leaves and stem. This was a "store bought" costume, specially designed for dogs of her height and weight, and while it was fun, all be it a bit expensive, it got me thinking about all of those crafty people in the world who create their own ingenious dog costumes. There are several that I have seen, both in person and on the Internet, that are absolutely fantastic, and I think that the best costumes take into account the appearance and personality of the dog, and either match it, or completely go in the opposite direction. A few of my all time favorites include:

1. The female Bulldog dressed as a fairy. I saw this at a local dog friendly eatery this Halloween. The costume came complete with wings, skirt and a braided headpiece reminiscent of a bridal veil. A great costume because it is so unlikely...the rough, tough bulldog in her fairy costume!

2. The Boston Terrier as a milk cow. I saw this costume on the Internet, and it was absolutely fantastic. The costume was actually quite simple, including ears, a bell and using the animals natural black and white markings to compliment, but the best part was the tiny "hoove like" booties that the dog wore!

3. The Miniature Pincher as a devil...quite a cute costume complete with horns, red cape and tail.

4. The Poodle as the princess. The best part about this costume was the fact that the owner had actually used a PET SAFE color was to turn her white poodle a very light shade of pink...she added a pretty skirt, lace up ballerina type dog booties, and a crown, and she had the perfect princess!

There are many other wonderful and ingenious costume ideas out there, including the pirate, the witch, the ballerina, the lobster...and one of my all time favorites, the dog dressed as a cat. Still, the most important thing to consider when creating a costume for your pet is the comfort and safety of the pet. Make sure that all costumes allow for the pet to easily relieve himself, that there are no small pieces that could be ingested, and most importantly, that the pet is never left alone in his or her costume...

I've already got my Jack Russel's next Halloween costume, she's going to be a bumblebee. I can't say that she's quite as excited about it as I am, but a few dog treats and she'll forget her objections!

Learn more about this author, Sarah Williams.
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