Parade Your Pup at the HOWL-O-WEEN Costume Bash
Felicia | Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at 2:00PM 
Finally, a costume bash for dogs in Prospect Park! I spent my entire 20s and early 30s living in the East Village but as the law states, after I procreated, I had to move to Park Slope. While I do not miss my leaky roof and walk up, I really, really, really miss the Halloween Dog Parade and Costume Contest (now approaching it’s 23rd year) at the Tompkins Square dog run. I’m hoping, hoping, hoping the Park Slope version will be even one iota as creative and fun. No pressure. OK, so there is pressure. The winner of last year’s E. Village event went to a beagle mix named Maddie who was an amazing E.T. along with her owners Bennet Leak as Elliot and Bret England as the Moon.
Come on peeps, if you have ever been to Park Slope’s Annual Halloween Parade you know there are some Martha Stewart’s out there making impressive original costumes for their crib lizards as well as themselves. This year’s theme is literary characters. Why not do the same for your pup next Sunday? Paint your pug Fifty Shades of Grey. Put a leash and some nipple clamps on yourself (hey, it’s legal to go topless in NYC) and you are Anastasia Steele to your dog’s Christian Grey. At least strap a scarlet A on your Hester Prynne of a pup for god’s sake!
Angi Taylor, the founder and owner of Go Fetch Run, is responsible for the event. If it sucks, blame her. If it’s amazing, remember you read about it on FIPS.
Angi gave FIPS the run-down on the event and some tips for those costumes.
We will have a costume parade at 3:30 pm where the people and dogs can show off the costumes and judges will decide who wins the grand prize of dog training from Calm Energy Dog Training and a free week of classes from Go Fetch Run. We will be handing out free treats from All Natural Dog Treats Handmade in Brooklyn to all attendees (while supplies last).
Safety is our top priority for the event, so all dogs must remain on a leash (it's the park rules, anyway). We also suggest doing a practice run with the dog's costume before the day of the event.
Some tips for choosing a great costume:
1. Make sure it's safe and comfortable.
2. Choose a costume that isn't too tight or too heavy.
3. Check for loose ends or pieces that the dog could eat or trip on.
4. Listen to your dog. If the costume causes too much anxiety, don't put it on. You can still come out and enjoy the event!
5. Be creative!
If you want to go pop culture with your pup’s costume, remember that a Daft Punk helmet or a Duck Dynasty beard on your Chihuahua constitutes animal cruelty.
On a side note this treat season, chocolate can kill dogs (theobromine, a bitter chemical found in cocoa beans, is the molecule that does the deed) so keep your treats away from your mangy mutts.
Sometimes it's ruff to be a dog.
What will you and your dog wear or are you and your domesticated carnivorous mammal all “bah humbug” about Halloween?
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