howlaween

Who Ya Gonna Call?

In The Doghouse

Oriental Trading for their fabulous costume options, that’s who! Thanks again for the O.G., OT, for hooking us up this Halloween.

The week has finally come when I can show you my favorite of the costumes we tried out this year: the Ghostbusters Dog Costume.

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Isn’t he adorable?!

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That inflatable proton pack might just be my favorite thing, ever.

Now, you could easily dress up in your own Ghostbusters jump suits to make a merry band of busters to match your pup, but you could also allow Spot to be the star and, instead, go as some familiar villains from the classic movie release:

Ghostbusters Closet Cosplay

 

Might I suggest Slimer and Stay Puft? You can go costume or you can opt for closet cosplay, you’re choice.

A few years back Todd and I dressed up as Dana (the red dress, possessed version), and Louis though, sadly, there’s no decent photo evidence of this (we were too busy hosting a pumpkin party to pose for pictures), and then there’s the whole slew of characters to choose from out of the newest iteration in the franchise.

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Now, that proton pack that I love so very much does bring me to this week’s safety tip: be mindful of how the costume may impinge upon your dog’s leash or harness control. We prefer harnesses for crowd situations, and the proton pack is directly in the way. Costumes without back pieces are easy enough to place the harness over (as we did with Duncan’s Luau costume when we went to Boston’s Witches Night Out a few weeks ago), but if your pup is prone to pulling or could get overly excited while trick-or-treating, a Gentle Leader harness (which works a bit like a horse’s bridle, as I understand it) may be an option worth looking into.

Happy Howl-aween, folks. May your pups be cute and your treats be tasty!

The Reluctant Little Ewok

In The Doghouse

Thanks, as always, to Oriental Trading for partnering up with us for another Halloween series!

Some say there’s a definite generation gap between those who like the ewoks from Return of the Jedi and those who don’t. I am in the former category and adore the little fuzzy faces with their stiff-legged walk, their smooshed-in faces, and their happy little song and dance number. So of course I picked the Star Wars Ewok dog costume for Duncan. to try on!

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Unfortunately, it was not his best look. I think this costume would look fabulous on fuller-faced, fuzzier-faced pups, but the long snout and small head of a Basset just doesn’t fill it out the way I would have liked.

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And Darth Vader would have been much more appropriate for his terrorizing temperament, lately, anyway. Oh, well, can’t win ’em all!

This costume also gave us an excellent example of sizing mishaps–it’s designed in two pieces, with a body that goes on both front and back legs. Yeah, not on a long-bodied Basset Hound! But the head piece absolutely swam on him, even with the drawstring under the chin, so there you go. Still, it’s easier to take something in that’s too large, so buy for the largest measurement and take a few careful stitches where necessary (kind of like bridesmaid dress shopping). And if you do end up with something a little too snug, most of these costumes are fitted with Velcro closures along the chest and/or belly, so a strip of similarly-hued fabric with your own hook and loop tape on the ends will ensure the costume stays put without being seen.

Which brings us to our Dog-a-ween tip of a week: If you’ll be taking your furry friend out after dark, especially if they’ll be wearing a dark costume, make sure you take steps to make them as visible as you would yourself. Reflective tape on the leash  and on the costume are both excellent ideas. You could also attach glow bracelets or necklaces in places the pooch won’t be tempted to chew them off.

Now, to match your dystopian space dog, there are plenty of costumes on the market for you and your entire family! The closet cosplay options are varied, too, but I’m rather fond of the forest looks of Han and Leia, like below.

Han & Leia

 

We have one more costume to go, and I definitely saved my favorite for last. Make sure you come back next Thursday to find out what it is!