Is it Safe to Dress Up Your Pets for Halloween?

The sheer amount of pet Halloween costumes out there is insane… in a good way. I can't ever remember a time when there has been a better selection of costumes available in nearly every pet store, and even in non-pet stores. Each year brings about higher quality, better offers, and a wider selection of fits for various pets.

Related: 11 very real dangers to your pets on Halloween

We have had a lot of fun trying costumes on Django and Hayley. Seeing Django as a sexy devil from Petco is pure joy. We also tried a homemade costume for Hayley. We're still trying to figure out what it is, but she enjoyed wearing it nonetheless. (Our cats, meanwhile, have been less cooperative.) Some costumes fit better than others, and some costumes annoy the pups less than others.

There has been so much talk about whether Halloween costumes are good for pets at all. They can pose severe health risks, like strangulation, or moderate ones, like all-day discomfort from tight or ill-fitted clothing. Dogs can ingest dangerous material, like glitter and other potentially poisonous substances.

All of this is true. But putting our pets in costumes is no more a risk than when we dress up our children. After all, for many of us, our pets are practically our children. Careful pet owners are going to make sure that whatever their dogs and cats - and maybe even ferrets and gerbils - wear will not pose a risk.

Supervision is key for pets and children. Check to make sure they both can walk without their costumes becoming a nuisance, and ensure they will be safe. Make sure your toddler or furry baby doesn't swipe a costume part and start chewing on it. And then have fun. As parents, we all know that if we can actually keep the costume on them long enough to snap a good photo, that is all that matters - especially for our pets, who will make it instantly known if they like wearing a costume or not.

We tried on so many costumes on our dogs, and they just immediately knocked some off. Others, like Django's sexy devil, lasted for the photo, and I was pleased with that. Hayley tried to be a taco, and since she's a chihuahua, it really would be the perfect costume. But she had some trouble fitting it around her padded belly, so we tried a hat version, which didn't really work. She also tried her best to glamorize the football costume. I'm not quite sure what Django and Hayley will agree to wear next Thursday, but it will definitely be a collaboration!

- By Danielle Sullivan

For 13 totally inappropriate pet Halloween costumes, visit Babble!

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