Is it OK to dress your pet in a costume for Halloween? – Sentinel and Enterprise

DEAR PET TALK: Is it okay to dress my pet up in a costume for Hallowe’en? -Curious

DEAR CURIOUS: Every day, you’ll see photos on the internet of pets in various get-ups, ranging from antler ears, to tutus, to tiaras, etc. Hallowe’en has only gotten bigger and more commercialized every year, especially after 2020, the first year of COVID.

But first: does your pet tolerate dressing up? Four-legged members of our TheraPAWS pet therapy teams occasionally “put on the Ritz” for a visit, and a sensitive pet owner will be quite aware of their pet’s comfort-level. If your pet wears a harness, you can probably attach a small bow. (My TheraPAWS therapy cat, Reggie has a variety of bows, and usually wears a button reading “Be Kind” pinned to the knot).

This year, the most popular pet costumes (according to the National Retail Federation) are: Pumpkin, Hot Dog, Bat, Ghost, Bumblebee, Cat (!), Spider, Witch, Lion, and Devil. For kids, the top three are Spiderman, Ghost and Princess, and for adults, Witch, Vampire and Cat.

We’ve heard from many TheraPAWS team members that their pet enjoys wearing a costume, as long as it’s comfortable, and doesn’t get in the way of grooming. If your pet balks when you try to add an item of apparel on his body, consider taking a picture and then adding a costume piece on the photo from one of the many  computer programs capable of this feature. (Remember — the internet wasn’t created for communication — it was created for people to share cute cat and dog videos.)

 Sally Cragin is the director of Be PAWSitive: Therapy Pets and and Community Education. Send questions to sallycragin@gmail.com.