Halloween is almost upon us, and you know what that means: it's time to dress up your pet for your own amusement.
The holiday doesn’t have to be all misery for your furry friend, however. Megan Johnson, who has owned The Animal House at 157 Fillmore Street for over seven years now, has plenty of ideas to keep you entertained and your pet happy — or, at least, as happy as possible.
In selecting the year's 10 best pet costumes, Johnson balanced the adorableness quotient with how much each outfit would torment your pet.
"These are all judged on how comfortable your pet will be in it and how invasive it is," Johnson tells Hoodline. "A lot of people spend money on a costume their dog is never going to wear."
So here they are, the 10 best pet costumes of the year (that your dog will actually wear):
Lobster
Tella, a portugese water dog, is modeling a lobster costume, one of the few that really work well for bigger dogs.
"It looks good and it's comfortable for most animals," Johnson says. "Plus it's orange! All Giants fans should make sure their dogs wear orange."
Bats
Stig and Skillet are both rescue pups whom Johnson refers to as "part dog, part monkey." Here they’re showing off a classic: the bat costume.
"Most popular every year," says Johnson. "So comfortable they don’t notice it, even if they’re in a harness." This is a good option if you’re taking your pooches to a party and want them to wear their costumes all night.
Gnome
Abner, a Jack Russel Terrier/Chihuahua mix, is really pulling off this gnome costume.
"This has been really popular the past four years," Johnson says. "Looks really good on most dogs."
Wicked Witch & Dorothy
Buffy, a mutt who Johnson jokes is a "felted lab" because she looks like a yellow Labrador Retriever that was thrown in a dryer, is the Wicked Witch to Skillet’s Dorothy.
"Perfect Wicked combo for people with two dogs," says Johnson.
Wonder Woman
We couldn't get enough of Skillet, so asked her to model the Wonder Woman costume as well.
"This one fits really well," Johnson says. And it has Wonder Woman's signature headband, too, because it's authentic like that.
Candy Corn
Here's Stella showing off not just how she can sit up and beg with the best of them, but also a candy corn costume.
"This one is good for larger dogs, because many costumes only come for small dogs," Johnson says.
Elvis
Stig as Elvis, y’all!
"Elvis is in the building," Johnson says. "Who doesn’t love rhinestones?"
South of the Border
Abner's Mexican serape comes with a little sombrero. Here’s a great tip for keeping the hat standing upright on your pup’s head: stuff it with toilet paper first.
Jack-O-Lantern
Author's note: I'm a cat person, so I had to insist we get a shot of Tiger wearing a costume. As you might imagine, it was not as easy as it was most of the dogs, and Tiger is not willing to sit still for her treats, so this close-up was the best shot I could get. The Animal House has a bunch of simple head bands and other minimal costumes that you can put your kitty in—I got mine a set of Princess Leia’s side buns.
While most of the models are dogs, rest assured that all of these costumes come in sizes to fit your cat, too. That’s the number one thing Johnson says you need to look out for: getting the right size for your pet. Specifically, make sure that the costume doesn’t dig into your pet’s armpits too much.
Got an awesome pet costume to show off? The Animal House is hosting a customer appreciation party this Thursday, October 30th from 5pm to 8pm. There will be photo sessions available, so you might want to come dressed up, too.
