HALLOWEEN PETS IN TRICK-OR-TREAT COSTUMES

Jan Rietcheck Neumann (Washington) Somewhere in my house I have a picture of our now long-deceased cockapoo, Maggie, that would have been PERFECT. I dressed her up as an angel, halo and everything. I had my camera ready and said, “Maggie, smile at Mama!” She did look at me. But her look was a definite “Eff u, take this crap off of me and give me treats for this humiliation.” She won.

Jill Gibbs (Montana) My dogs love Halloween. Well, maybe not so much. But they get paid well. We live on a dead-end street with minimal street lights. We don’t get any trick-or-treaters.

Photo by Jill Gibbs

Jessica Theisen de Gonzalez (New York) My own dog Boudicca, who is an incredibly good sport about costumes. Here’s Boudicca as a banana.

Photo by Jessica Theisen de Gonzalez

Jessica Theisen de Gonzalez (New York) Sometimes cats can get in on the fun. Mitad had already proven a quick study, learning crate-training faster than the dog. She was fine being a small pie with everything, as long as I kept the treats coming.

Photo by Jessica Theisen de Gonzalez

Jessica Theisen de Gonzalez (New York) This was a lovely seven-year-old mixed-breed girl named Negra who was initially so shy, but did start to flower during her stay with us. Props and costumes are incredibly effective in marketing shelter pets, sometimes softening the reputed image they have, or just being irresistibly cute. She was adopted not long after her photo shoot.