Pet owners conjure up creative Halloween costumes for their canines
As the deciduous leaves change and the weather turns, owners are heading out to collect treats and preparing to masquerade their dogs in an assortment of costumes.
Halloween is an opportunity for canines to be the centre of attention, says pug owner Nancy Taylor.
"I've had Duke now for eight years, but I believe he is aged 10 or 11," said the resident of Foxtrap, Conception Bay South, N.L.
To see Duke now – an incredibly happy and loving pug dressed in his red bomber jacket – it's hard to imagine him having a turbulent past. But, scarred by trauma, the abused animal needed time and plenty of love for his heart to heal, and that is what he got when Taylor stepped in to save him.
"I like to say he rescued me. Duke came from a broken home, kids tortured him, and he was locked in a kennel all day and ignored. He was full of infections and terrified – afraid of his shadow. When I got him, I decided to treat him like a king. He is my little man, and within a few months of ownership, he came out of his shell," she explained.
For every special occasion, Duke comes dressed for the part.
"I have made costumes for him, friends and family have given him outfits, and
I have got kids' clothes from the thrift store. He loves the attention, especially if treats are involved. Duke is a senior now, and his eyesight and hearing are deteriorating, but I joke he can still hear the fridge door opening."
On Oct. 31, Duke will be a unicorn, says Taylor.
She added, "We have worn matching costumes in the past, but I do not plan to for this year."
‘PUT A SMILE ON EVERYONE'S FACE’
For Leah Ellis, a native of
Hammonds Plains in N.S., dressing pets in costumes is an opportunity to lighten the mood in sometimes tricky situations.
Her pet, Moobie, is believed to be a beagle/daschund mix that came to Ellis as a rescue from the Animal Coalition in Nova Scotia.
"I was working at a vet clinic before studying at the Atlantic Veterinary College in PEI when I found my best buddy," said Ellis, who now lives with Moobie in Alberta while completing an affiliated internship post-graduation in equine medicine.
"Moobie, while not a fan of costumes, complies. This year I made sure to get her a great white shark Halloween outfit to pay homage to our East Coast roots. She lives with me at work and seeing her in the costume is a great morale boost for all the staff."
Ellis plans to move back to PEI with Moobie after her internship.
"We have hard, stressful jobs with people bringing in sick animals, so seeing Moobie in a costume is one of the little ways that we can put a smile on everyone's face and think about all the good
things with medicine."
Moobie, who is a "couch potato," according to Ellis, has worn a variety of outfits to match her personality, including a PEI potato sack with holes cut in the paper bag to fit the dog’s shape.
"I once bought a baby's Anne of Green Gables outfit from a goodwill store and found a doll hat with braids. The occasion was a fundraiser for the PEI Humane Society during my first year of veterinary school. But when I was young, my mother dressed me up as 'Anne,' so I just got a kick out of it."