Howl-O-Ween: Animal Costumes

October 7, 2021 • BaxterBoo Team

Part of the fun of Halloween is getting to dress up and pretend to be someone or something you're not for a while. The enjoyment can extend to your dog when you dress him up as a completely different animal. You can choose a costume for your dog that stands alone or relates thematically to yours. It can reflect your dog's personality or make an ironic statement about it, e.g., dressing him up as a lion when he's really more sheepish. There is a wide variety of animal costumes for your dog, from the creepy to the funny to the cute. Dressing up your dog for Halloween is a way for you to share the fun of the holiday together.

Extinct Animals

Dinosaurs roamed the earth for millions of years before getting suddenly wiped out. Though no one has ever seen a real dinosaur, people have been able to learn a great deal about them from their fossil remains, and they continue to capture the human imagination. You can choose to dress up your dog as a fearsome predator or a gentle herbivore . Either way, you're sure to get a lot of admiring comments from friends and passersby.

Mythical Animals

Rather than dressing your dog up as an animal that used to exist, you can also choose a costume of an animal that never existed but feels like it should have. For example, the unicorn is one of the most popular mythological creatures because it has a reputation for being gentle but powerful and, most of all, elusive. A unicorn costume gives your dog an air of magic and mystery, at least for one night. If you'd prefer to emphasize the fearsome aspect, another mythical creature you can dress your dog up as is a dragon.

Ocean Animals

Fish and aquatic mammals live in an environment completely different from that inhabited by you and your dog, so this type of costume is a way to lend her an air of mystery while dressing her up as a real creature. For example, a narwhal is a whale with usually one but sometimes two long tusks growing from its mouth. It is a real creature that is as mysterious and fascinating as the mythical unicorn and shares a similar attribute. Dressing your dog in a narwhal costume is sure to attract attention and spark conversation as not everyone may be able to identify it on sight.

Shark costumes for dogs are popular, and some of them can be interpreted in various humorous ways. Is your dog dressed as a shark, or is the shark eating him? If you don't like the ambiguity, you can choose a single shark fin that straps on your dog like a harness and make it clear that he is meant to be predator, not prey.

Insects and Arachnids

While not all six-legged creatures are lovable, insect costumes for dogs are usually very cute. You can dress up your dog as a ladybug, a bumblebee , or a beautiful monarch butterfly . Not only are these costumes adorable, but all of these beneficial insects are threatened, and you may be able to help raise awareness of their plight by dressing up your dog in one of these costumes.

On the other hand, arachnid costumes tend to be a little scarier, so if you want your dog to have an air of menace, you might consider dressing her as a scorpion or a spider .

Birds

Birds and dogs have very little in common, so dressing your dog up as a bird can create an amusing contrast. It might be a way for you to make a comment on your dog's personality. For example, if he seems to think a lot of himself, you can dress him up like a peacock . If he gets scared easily, you can dress him like a chicken . If he seems serious and thoughtful, you can dress him as an owl .

Reptiles and Amphibians

People's feelings about these cold-blooded creatures can vary, but seeing a dog dressed up as a frog , or even an alligator or a crocodile , is likely to warm the heart. These costumes tend to play up the cuteness factor more than the creepy aspects. There aren't very many dog costumes based around reptiles and amphibians, so this may be a good choice if you want your pet's costume to stand out in a crowd.

Other Mammals

There are a lot of costumes for dogs that allow them to look like other mammals so there are a lot of ways to have fun dressing her up. For example, you might think that a lion would make a better costume for a cat than a dog since they are part of the same family. However, you might be surprised at how a large ruff of fur around your dog's neck can make her look more regal, assuming that she doesn't have one already. You can also dress up your dog like one of her relatives, the fox .

As with bird costumes, you can use costumes of other mammals to make a humorous comment about your dog's personality. Is he lazy? Then put him in a sloth costume . Greedy? Dress him up like a pig . Do you affectionately regard him as a little stinker? Then the obvious choice is a skunk costume .

There are also costumes that allow you to dress up your dog as specific animals, such as famous cartoon characters and sports mascots . Our costumes are designed for your dog's comfort so that they're fun and not stressful. Be sure to choose the right size.