Halloween is around the corner, and you know what that means, right? Costumes galore.
From classics like Mike Myers to more niche picks like Art the Clown, people’s creativity, or lack thereof, is on full display during Halloween.
However, you wouldn’t want your pet to miss out on the Halloween fun, would you?
The next time your dog looks at you with pleading eyes or your cat stares at you with a deadpan face, just know they are begging you to dress them up.
Okay, maybe not, but still! Dressing up pets is safe as long as it doesn’t cause discomfort or stress.
If you live in Central Alberta and your pet isn’t costume-adverse, consider signing up for a photo shoot with the Central Alberta Humane Society (CAHS).
On October 19th, from 10 AM to 2 PM, the CAHS invites pet owners to bring their pets down to Red Deer for a photo session with Amy Cheng Photography.
“Whether your home is filled with dogs, cats, guinea pigs, or some other form of furry love…the importance they have on our lives deserves to be documented. That’s why with all my photo shoots, I encourage my clients to bring along those furry friends when possible,” writes Amy Cheng on her website.
If your pet hates costumes but isn’t camera shy, the CAHS also offers photos with a Halloween-themed backdrop. This backdrop is perfect for scaredy cats who are afraid of their own reflection, let alone a costume!
The cost for one pose is $35.00. One additional pose can be purchased for $25, two for $40, and three for $65.00.
The funds help the CAHS help animals in need in Central Alberta.
The CAHS facility costs $1.5 million annually to run. Funds generated from the society’s photo shoots go a long way toward helping the CAHS help animals in need in Central Alberta.
Last year, the CAHS Holiday Pet Portraits netted the society over $7,000!
Best Halloween Costumes for Pets
Here are some great ideas for signing your pet up for a photo shoot or dressing it up.
In preparation for Halloween, Google released its Frightgeist, a list of this year’s most popular Halloween costumes based on Google searches, including pet costumes.
Unsurprisingly, pop culture and social media trends influence many of the most popular pet costumes.
At the top of the list is Dogpool, the indisputable main character of the July-released Deadpool and Wolverine movie. Dogpool is great, but what about Wolverine?
Wolverine ranked No. 6 on Google’s list of the top fifteen most popular pet costumes, behind stegosaurus, hot dog, basketball, and Beetlejuice costumes.
Hippo costumes are also in high demand, likely due to everyone’s favourite sassy pygmy hippo Moo Deng, who took the internet by storm in September.
Unlike human-sized costumes, pet costumes don’t cost an arm and a leg, but that hasn’t stopped people from breaking the bank on pet costumes.
Although Canadian statistics aren’t available, our neighbours down south give us a good idea of what pet owners in Canada might be willing to spend on costumes for their pets.
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans were predicted to spend almost half a billion dollars on pet costumes in 2018.
Rover claims that over 60 percent of dog owners dress their pets up in costumes for photo shoots, proving that Halloween photo ops for pets are all the rage.
If you want to dress your pet up this Halloween but are on a budget, here are some great DIY options.
Halloween is the perfect opportunity to bring your costume creativity to life. If you have the perfect duo costume in mind but are regrettably single, why not include your pet?
The options are endless from the Mandalorian and Grogu to Gru and a Minion. Just make sure to throw in a treat or two.
