I admit I don’t often think of dogs when I think of Halloween, but if you glance at a pet products website or pop into a pet store, you realize that at least some of us dog owners like to dress up our dogs. If you asked me a few years ago what I thought about this trend, I would have said that it’s not for me, thank you very much! But now that I have Ace, I admit there’s something compelling about putting my cute dog in a cute costume and photographing her with a suffering expression (don’t worry, our model is well compensated with a variety of treats).

Halloween is next week! If you’re like me and have put off getting costumes for your family, you can check your dog off the list with a visit to two companies I’ve featured in past Dogster reviews. To Ace’s dismay (and my delight), Petsmart and Wayfair.com sent me samples of their Halloween offerings for dogs.

Petsmart

Petsmart’s website is crawling with creepy costumes, toys, and other Halloween-themed dog products. Many of them are on sale, including the Disney PetHalloween Eeyore Costume (on sale for $6.27). According to the measurement chart, Ace would just barely fit into a size medium with her 19” chest. I found the medium to fit true to size. However, because Ace is a bully breed, her length is a bit shorter than other dogs with a similar chest circumference, so the costume was long on her. I appreciated the ease of dressing Ace in the costume with two Velcro closures across her chest and belly. The hood is adorable with its long ears and tuft of hair. My favorite part was the fabric: it is the type of synthetic fleece you sometimes find lining dog beds or the collars of human jackets. Very cute!

Petsmart also carries Martha Stewart’s line of dog products, which have some Halloween-themed clothing and toys. We received the Martha Stewart Pets Dragon Tee ($3.77 to $4.27) in size extra small, so we got one of Ace’s favorite toys to model for us. Despite her aversion to clothing, I think Ace was a little jealous of this well-made, colorful shirt. I really like the price for such an attractive product, especially because the tag suggests a retail price of $20. If your dog doesn’t tolerate bulky Halloween costumes, consider getting a simple shirt like this one.

Ace breathed a sigh of relief when I asked her to test out some stuffed toys from Martha Stewart (the specific toys I sampled don’t appear to be on Petsmart’s website currently, but you can find similar toys here). I appreciate that the toys were labeled for “gentle play,” since they definitely are not built for the kind of carnage an active dog like Ace inflicts on her stuffies. The toys are cute, colorful, and unique little monsters. I think these would be appropriate if you have a dog that is easy on her toys, or if you were looking to give an attractive gift to a dog owner.

Dogster Scorecard for Petsmart’s Halloween accessories by Disney and Martha Stewart:

Quality: All of these products seemed to have quality construction and materials, but note that the toys are not designed for rough play.

Style: Martha Stewart’s line is colorful and fashionable.

Function: It was easy to dress Ace in Disney’s Eeyore costume.

Creativity: All of these products were unique, and I especially liked the detailing in the Eeyore costume.

Value: Given Petsmart’s marked-down prices, these products are a great deal.

Wayfair.com

Wayfair.com offers an astonishingly large collection of Halloween costumes for dogs, including many different brands. I reviewed two costumes by Rubie’s Costume Company, which designs costumes for humans as well as pets. I wasn’t surprised to learn this, since the dog costumes I received looked exactly like the kind of ready-made costume you would buy for a person.

One issue I had with both costumes, but which was more pronounced in the banana costume, was the sizing. With Ace’s 19” chest, she fell between medium (17”) and large (20”), so I ordered costumes in size large. They turned out to be way too big for her. Depending on your dog’s breed, you might find the costumes to be appropriately sized, but for this Boston Terrier, the proportions were wrong.

I loved the dinosaur costume ($20.37) so much that I had to unleash my inner dino with a costume of my own. It’s hard to tell in the picture on the website, but most of the costume is a single layer of fabric, with stuffing in the tail only to give it some form. The green material is fantastic: velvet-like and with a reptile pattern embossed in the pile. I had some difficulty getting Ace’s front legs through the sleeves, but once she was in the costume looked relatively comfortable (for a dog Halloween costume).

The banana costume ($17.12) turned Ace into one of her favorite foods. The material is a soft, low-pile banana yellow, and the body of the costume has great details like the peel around the collar. It would have been amazing if the hat had fit Ace’s head. Consider this costume if you think your dog can tolerate wearing a hat (as opposed to a hood, which I think is a bit easier). The hat attaches under your dog’s chin with a Velcro closure, and has holes for her ears to poke through.

Dogster Scorecard for Wayfair.com’s Rubie’s Dog Halloween Costumes:

Quality: Rubie’s costumes were made of soft, interesting fabrics and were on par with the kind of costume you’d buy for a human.

Style: Adorable! Look at the eyes on that dinosaur…

Function: The costumes were too large for Ace despite my measuring her, but depending on your breed of dog you might not have this problem.

Creativity: The variety of products available on Wayfair.com is huge, and Rubie’s costumes are some of the most unique.

Value: The costumes seemed fairly priced given their quality and cuteness.

Bottom Line:

If you’re still searching for that perfect Halloween costume for your dog, check out Petsmart and Wayfair.com for a spooky and unique selection.

Dogster readers, do you dress up your dogs for Halloween or other holidays? Does your dog stand tall and proud, hunker down until it’s all over, or fight her costume to the death? Share your stories in the comments section below, and have a safe and fun Halloween!

About Ace’s Mama: This East Coast transplant enjoys the bounty of San Francisco, including its microclimates, farmer’s’markets, and secret stairway walks. When she’s not walking with, talking about, or kissing the face of her Boston Terrier, Ace, she blogs about Ace’s adventures. Product reviews writer and guinea pig at Dogster.