DIY Halloween costumes for your pet

Perhaps you want a truly unique costume for your pet this Halloween, or perhaps you just know you'll wait until the night before and scramble to put a costume together. Either way, a DIY costume for your pet is a unique, fun and usually inexpensive way to get ready for Halloween. Here are a few ideas for how to make a DIY costume this year.

 

1. Flower

Last year, Daisy was a daisy! (I couldn't resist.) To make a flower of any variety:

- Buy some felt in desired colors (it has more structure than most fabric)

- Cut a strip that is as long as your dogs collar when laid flat and a little more than twice its width

- Hot glue or sew the strip along the long edge into a tube (eventually you'll slide this over the collar)

- Cut "petals" out of felt and glue or sew them to your tube and enjoy!

Daisy as a daisy!

2. Super hero

There's a lot of options with this one. Super hero, devil, vampire, grim reaper, etc. Have fun with it!

- Buy some fabric in desired color (black for BatDog or red for SuperDog!)

- Cut the fabric into a trapezoidal shape, leaving a wide strip at the top to tie around the dog's neck (see image). Alternatively you could create a "tube" to slip around the dog's collar as in the Flower costume above

Pattern for dog cape

- Use markers, puffy paint or textile paint to draw your dog's super hero emblem on the cape


3. Dice

This is a great costume for a pair of dogs (since dice typically come in pairs!) but you could also take the basic shape and turn it into a lot of other costumes (juice box, box o' wine, computer, etc.) Keep in mind this costume requires a dog that is comfortable getting dressed up as there is a lot of measuring and if not cut perfectly could be a little restrictive for the dog.

- Find a cardboard box that fits comfortably around your dog's belly and roughly from its neck to its hind legs

- Cut off the bottom of the box and top of the box so your dog's head and hind legs have a place to go.

- Cut holes for the front legs in the bottom of the box. This will keep the box secure on the dog's body so make sure your dog is comfortable.

- Cut off enough of the bottom edge of the box to make sure your dog can pee and poop comfortably!

- Paint (spray paint, acrylic paint, even markers all work well) the box for your desired costume

Product Review: FURminator Conditioner

Hair got you down?

Shedding is part of having a dog, but that doesn't mean you need to throw up your arms in defeat and give in to the hair. As an owner of a double-coated, year-round shedder I'm always on the lookout for new ways to reduce shedding. So when I noticed that FURminator, makers of my favorite deshedding brush, had a shampoo & conditioner on the market, I was game to give it a try.

These products claim to "release the undercoat", taking more hair off the dog during and immediately after its bath. The price tag was not insignificant ($16 each) so I opted for the conditioner only.

The bottom line? It definitely took more hair off the dog than not using it, but I'm not sure it was enough to support the price tag. I got about a baseball-sized amount of hair, and I noticed that for a few hours after the bath she seemed to shed like crazy (another post-bath brushing helped). But I was hoping that, after that initial period, I'd noticed less hair coming off and I unfortunately I didn't. I did notice that she felt the softest she's ever been, so that was a plus.

I know I didn't use it in conjunction with the shampoo, and who knows, maybe I didn't have the application down as well as I thought, but overall I don't think this product lived up to the hype. I'm sticking with regular FURminator brushings instead.

Pick of the Week: Pucks & Paws with the Worcester Sharks

You and Fido are probably currently enjoying the beautiful fall weather here in New England. Hiking, biking, leaf peeping and the like are all fun activities for you to enjoy with your pet. But soon fall will turn to winter and you'll be bundling up just to take poor Fido for a walk around the block.

Yes, winter poses some difficulties for finding ways to exercise your pet. Here's one great idea for a fun winter night out with your pet. On January 15th, the Worcester Sharks are hosting "Pucks & Paws" at the DCU Center in Worcester. That's right - bring your dog to an AHL hockey game! I found out about the event at a fundraiser this past weekend, and here's a few things I learned that you might not find just looking at the Sharks website:

- A special section (likely the upper level) will be sectioned off to allow owners and dogs to spread out and enjoy the game. And yes, if your dog fits on a seat, they can have one!
- The corresponding section of the concourse will also be set up for owners and dogs, with specialty treats available for your pooch while you pick up a hot dog and beer
- If Fido needs to do his business during the game, dogs and owners will be allowed to exit the arena and come back in (very rare!)
- Human tickets will be $15; canine tickets will be $10
- A few vendors will be stationed on the concourse handing out information & samples about local products & services (no sales are allowed however)

For more information visit the Sharks website at www.sharksahl.com. To be honest, I couldn't figure out to purchase these special tickets from the Sharks website (or anywhere else online), but they might just not be available yet (FYI, they are playing Syracuse that night). And as a special bonus, there will be a local high school double header the same night and your ticket provides entrance to all three events.

So if the winter weather has you down, and Fido is chasing his tail around the living room, enjoy a night out January 15th. Pucks & Paws for all!