Costume ideas for your four-legged friends – Northern Star

The best part of Halloween is dressing up and pretending to be someone else for the night. While many people are starting to buy costumes for themselves, others are looking for the perfect outfit for their pets.

According to National Retail Federationin the United States, approximately $0.7 billion is spent on Halloween costumes for pets each year.

There are many reasons why people dress up their furry friends for the festivities. Most holiday shopping is for social media where users crave likes on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, wanting to participate in the trend of cats and dogs dressing up.

Animal dress up is simply a cute and fun way to get animals involved during spooky season.

“I’m going to dress my dog ​​up as a little lobster. This will be her first year of disguise,” said Andrea Flores, a second-year health and humanities student.

There are a variety of pet costumes for cats and dogs that range from pop culture to food. The pop culture route is perhaps the most creative category, especially for pet owners who love movies and TV shows. Costume ideas include Marvel superheroes, “Stranger Things” characters, and Disney characters from movies like “Turning Red” and “Lightyear.”

For people who don’t want the hassle of trying to fit their pet into a full costume, there are simple alternatives to make sure they don’t miss out on the fun this year.

Bandanas that tie loosely around your pet’s neck are cute and can be found in different colors and patterns. Soft is one of the many online stores that sell pet Halloween bandanas.

Hats and ears are other options for pets that can be tricky and may even end up looking better than a full look. Examples of headgear include witch hats or Yoda ears for “Star Wars” enthusiasts.

“I used to dress my cats and my dogs in some kind of food,” sophomore Madelin Richards said.

Where can we find these costumes? Due to the growing popularity of pet costumes, they are not hard to find and are available at Target or Walmart. Elaborate costumes can be found in stores such as Pet Costume Center, Halloween spirit and PartyCity.

Dressing up your pet for the holidays can be exciting, but also dangerous. Make sure pets are comfortable with the costume and can move around and see clearly. Those who decide to dress their pet this year should refer to the Society for the Protection of Animals for safety advice.