Dear dog owners: please stop dressing your dogs in costumes. I understand that you are trying to be cute and endearing, but you are actually scaring your dog. Dressing up as a pumpkin is NOT a naturally occurring thing for a dog to do. This is not their culture.
This is my dog, Ernie. He is a good boy who has never done anything wrong. He doesn’t wear clothes, because he doesn’t need to wear clothes, because he is not cold.
When people dress their dogs up as pumpkins, they basically turn the dog into a human-shaped pumpkin with a tail on it. It’s terrifying! If a seven-foot tall human walks into the room wearing an Ernie-shaped costume and starts barking and wagging his tail at me, I would find this extremely upsetting!
If you dress your dog up as a pumpkin, you are essentially saying “I am doing something that I know frightens my dog and makes him uncomfortable because it makes me laugh.” That is not okay.
A few days ago, I was walking my dog, Tuck, when we ran into a woman walking a very large German Shepherd. This woman and her dog were dressed in matching pumpkin costumes. I stopped to watch the two of them walk by. The dog clearly did not want to wear a pumpkin costume. He kept shaking his head, trying to get the costume off. The woman would grab the dog’s head and try to force it back into the costume. This went on for several minutes until the woman finally gave up, put her dog back in her car, and drove away.
The reason I write this blog post is to remind everyone that dogs do not like wearing costumes. Period! Please don’t dress your dogs up as pumpkins, or any other kind of “cute” food or object. Dogs just want to be dogs, and they should never be forced to wear anything that makes them uncomfortable or scared.
The other day I was sitting on the couch, drinking a pumpkin spice latte and eating a slice of pumpkin pie. I had just finished up my pumpkin carving for Halloween (I went with a classic Jack-o-lantern) and was looking through some Pinterest boards to find some more inspiration for my home decor.
And then it happened.
I saw it and immediately wanted to throw up. Not because it was scary, or gory, or even ugly. But because it was downright cruel.
People dressing their dogs up as pumpkins.
When it comes to dressing up your dog, most people probably think the cutest outfits include pumpkins and reindeer antlers. However, it’s important to remember that dogs are animals not toys and should not be dressed up in costumes unless they enjoy them. To learn more about why it is best to avoid dressing your dog up for Halloween, read on.
The dog days of summer have come and gone, and now it’s time for the Halloween season to begin. My husband and I are the parents of three dogs (a healthy, six-year old chocolate Labrador Retriever named Hershey, a frisky four-year old French Bulldog named Brody, and a ten-month old English Bulldog named Molly). We love all of our dogs, but we know that they are not capable of understanding the concept of holidays like humans do.
In just a few weeks, there will be an influx of adorable pictures on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram that feature cute babies, children, and even pets dressed up for Halloween. While I love seeing pictures of kids in costumes, I am not as thrilled about seeing animals dressed up in costumes.
The reason why is simple: Animals do not understand what Halloween is all about. When you dress your dog up in a costume like a pumpkin or a bumble bee and take him outside to trick or treat with the kids in your neighborhood, you are imposing human expectations upon your pet that he or she does not understand.
I am all for dressing up dogs in cute costumes for photo ops on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. But please don’t actually make them
This year, I saw a lot of dogs dressed up in costumes. I have to say, it really bothered me. Dogs shouldn’t be wearing costumes. I don’t like it when people think that they should dress up their dogs.
It is not fair to the dog. It’s bad enough that we make them wear collars, which are uncomfortable and irritating. And dog clothes! Let’s not even get started about clothing for dogs. It’s ridiculous. Dogs would be better off without us humans dressing them up in costumes, hats and other ridiculous things we put on them.
To top it all off, apparently some people think that dogs should be wearing costumes on Halloween. Now, I understand the whole concept of Halloween and dressing up in costumes, but this is just getting out of control. This has gone too far.
Dogs do not want to wear costumes!
I love Halloween as much as the next person, but this year I’m going to be straight with you: if you’re dressing your dog up in a cute costume, you’re doing it wrong. At best, your pet is just not getting the full experience; at worst, it’s downright dangerous.
Sure, putting a pumpkin costume on your dog is “cute” for about ten seconds. After that, though, you’re only hurting them. Imagine if someone came up to you on the street and put an orange and green onesie on you? Not only would you be embarrassed, but then everyone would know what a dog person you were.