Should Pets Wear Halloween Costumes?

by Makayla F.

Should pets wear Halloween costumes? Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year. I love to dress up, do cool special effects makeup, decorate etc. As a dog owner, I always dress up my dog in a costume every year. I try to change it up but he really seems to love his spiderman costume. I know with everything going on people don’t really want to go out on Halloween but who says you and the family can’t dress up in costumes at home and still make Halloween as fun as it always is. Most people aren’t sure if they should dress up this year. Due to COVID-19, there aren’t many places to go for Halloween but even though things aren’t so great right now why not have fun at home with your family and all dress up including your pets.

Picking The Right Costume

If you dress up your pet for Halloween make sure to not use any type of face paint or makeup on them because it can be harmful and they can lick it off which isn’t good for them. If your pet gets stressed easily then make sure to get a costume that your pet is comfortable in. Not sure how your pet will react to being dressed up?  Let them warm up to the costume in stages:

• you can put the costume on the floor and let them sniff it.
• you can start off with the hat or scarf part of the costume
• slowly work your way up to the whole costume
• This will allow your pet to get comfortable with the costume and not feel confused or anxious.

The costumes you buy for your pets shouldn’t restrict their ability to move, their hearing and sight and their ability to breathe in it. Make sure you look for a costume that isn’t too small and isn’t too big. Look to make sure there aren’t any dangling pieces that your pet can bite off and choke on. Some costumes have things such as buttons and other small parts that your pet can bite off and choke on. 

Forcing your pet to wear a costume or any type of clothing when they don’t like it can cause stress and anxiety. Make sure to watch your pet’s body language to see if they show any signs of stress and if they do make sure to take the costume off right away.

Costume Alternatives

Some pets will never be comfortable with a costume, and that is ok! There are lots of ways to celebrate without a costume. A few that I like are:

1. Holiday-themed toys
2. Themed Bandanas or Collars

Please comment and share how you and your fur babies celebrated this year!