Create These D.I.Y Halloween Pet Costumes, Join Sunday’s Pet Parade

Your furry friend will be the talk of the town in these spook-tacular outfits. Show off your bedecked pooch and give the outfit a trial run in the Dog Bakery’s pet parade this Sunday. Here are five of the cutest options around.

Mummy — Animals are so cute dressed up as a mummy. There are two options for turning your best friend into a spooky mummy. You can simply wrap up the animal in ace bandages head to toe. Make sure it is not too tight and leave holes in all the pertinent areas. The other way is to get the animal a white shirt and cover that in ace bandages. The second way may be a little easier to get and keep on depending on your pet.

Underdog — “There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here!” This is a super easy costume and so easy to make. Simply get a white t-shirt and either iron on a letter U (white) or draw it with a fabric marker. Extra points if you tie on a blue handkerchief for a cape.

Bat — If you have a black dog or a black cat it is easy to transform your best friend into a creepy bat. You will need some materials:

-Scissors
-Clear Tape
-Fabric Tape Measure
-Craft Knife
-Ruler
-Spray Adhesive
-Hook and Loop Tape
-Black Pipe Cleaners
-½ Yard Black Felt

You will want to look up an outline of a left bat wing and a right one. Print them out about the full size of a sheet of paper. Cut them out and that is your template. Make two sets.

Tape them together to make the wings and then cut out the two sets with felt.

On the first set of wings, use the lines near the middle of the wing template and cut two 2″ lines with your craft knife. Use the ruler for accuracy.

Measure around your pet’s chest behind their front legs with the tape measure.

Then you can cut a strip of black felt 1-1/2″ wide and 2″ longer than the measurement of your pet’s chest.
Lay the wings with the cut slits on a flat surface and spray with adhesive.

Then you will feed the long strip through the back of one of the cuts going over the top of wings you sprayed and through the other cut half of the long strip on each side of the wings. Then press the strip onto the adhesive.

Take at least two pipe cleaners and twist them together. You will use the adhesive to adhere it to the wings. Then take small pieces of the pipe cleaners and go from the top to the bottom to make wing lines.

Measure your pet’s neck. Twist as many together as needed to make the harness. Fold the pipe cleaners in half and adhere them (at the center) to the top center of the wings. The two ends that are sticking out can be loosely wrapped around the pet’s neck to keep the wings on.

Adhere on the second set of the wings to the first to make the finished craft thicker.

Lightly place on animal to see how long you need the hook and loop tape to be so you will be able to secure it around the animal’s belly. You can then sew on or use the adhesive to attach the two pieces of hook and loop tape.

You can bend the wings up if you need to. If you are not crafty you can always buy child size black wings to make a bat or black fairy.

Voila! You know have the cutest bat around.

Chef — You can get a paper chef’s hat and a white shirt (long sleeves best). Use a red fabric pen to draw on red lines along the collar and wrists like a chef’s coat. For a cat you may prefer to use a white bandana instead of a shirt.

Businessman — This idea is absolutely adorable. Take an old men’s dress shirt and cut off the collar. The collar will go around the dog or cat’s neck. If your animal has a very wide neck you can glue the shirt collar to your dog’s collar so the opening is just in the back. Before putting the collar on tie an old tie around it. A children’s tie is best length wise. For an added touch you can also cut off the cuffs of the shirt and button on the two front paws.

Remember to strut with your mutt at the Dog Bakery’s annual Halloween parade for dressed up pets or have a happy Halloween by dressing up with your furry friends in the neighborhood.

If you’re not ready to make a costume for your pet, visit My Pet Garden for costumes and inspiration at #106, 2245 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107 or call (626) 449-1600.

The Dog Bakery is located at 36 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105. They will hold their annual dog parade on Sunday, October 25 at 11 a.m. Call (626) 440-0443 or visit www.thedogbakerycom for more information.