Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Pets Can Be a Fun Part of Halloween


It's too late for this year but think about including your pet in some of your Halloween activities next year. I found a pet parade and a Halloween Costume contest for pets both sponsored by rescue groups. It was fun to dress Seymour - and coordinate my costume with his. He ended up getting some great treats and freebies and I got a chance to bond with other crazy pet lovers.

The parade was small and the walk was less than 1/2 mile but there were lots of people standing along the route waving us on. When we got to the finish, they had a large bowl of water waiting for the pets. Seymour enjoyed sniffing small female dogs but wasn't as comfortable with the larger dogs - especially the larger male dogs. With a little maneuvering, we were able to stay closer to the smaller dogs and he was fine. He also really liked people stopping to pet him - especially little people. His nickname should be "Mr. Attention". Our hotdog and ketchup costumes won the Funniest Costumes prize and Seymour won some Carnivore Kisses - 100% Duck Treats. He is a very picky eater but he LOVES these treats. I think I know what will be in his Christmas stocking this year!

The Pet Halloween Costume contest was held at our local nursing home and it was so heartwarming seeing the residents enjoying the dogs. No matter how disabled some of the residents were, they all reached out to touch Seymour and the other pets. Most had smiles on their faces and loved seeing the dogs (and a few cats and a snake) in costumes. Seymour ended up winning 1st place in his division for his Pirate costume.



It was great getting a chance to dress up and have Seymour share the experience. Luckily, he doesn't mind putting on funny clothes as long as he can spend time with me.

It was even better knowing that our small entry fees went to the local rescue group. Everyone was a winner. And I already have Seymour and my costume for next year!