I was digging through old photos on my phone and found the vampire cat costume I made for my cat Shadow last October. I hand-stitched the whole thing because she hates sewing machines. Counted the stitches out of curiosity and it was 217. Took me like 4 evenings. Has anyone else put way more work into a pet costume than they planned?
I was at the dog park in Brooklyn last Saturday and saw a pit bull mix in this heavy knit sweater that was clearly way too bulky. The poor thing was walking weird and kept tripping over its own front legs. I asked the owner about it and she said she got it online based on neck size only. Turns out a lot of people don't think about chest depth or leg length when shopping for dog clothes. My own dog had a similar issue with a costume last Halloween where the arm holes were too far back. Has anyone else noticed this with pet clothes or am I just being picky?
I ordered this really cool pirate outfit with a tiny hook hand and everything from Etsy. My cat Luna just froze up and refused to move when I put it on her. She literally laid flat on the floor like a pancake for 20 minutes. Has anyone else dropped serious cash on a costume your pet just completely rejected?
I spent a whole week making a little hot dog cart for my dachshund. Thought it was perfect. Then some lady at the park said "too bad the bun color clashes with his fur." I brushed it off at first but then I kept looking at photos and she was right. The tan bun against his brown coat just looked muddy. So I dyed some white felt to a lighter cream color and redid the whole thing. It took me another three evenings but the final photos came out way better. Has anyone else had a random comment actually improve your costume work?
I was scrolling through my receipt and realized the fabric for his little claws was $18 at the craft store, and I paid $12 for a burger. Has anyone else blown way too much cash on a costume that only gets worn for 10 minutes?
Some random 6 year old at the parade last July pointed out my dog's red harness looked like ketchup on the bun costume and now I can't unsee it, has anyone else had their whole costume ruined by an accidental detail like that?
Last Halloween I dressed my little terrier mix as a dragon with these big fabric wings I sewed myself. I was pretty proud of it until my friend laughed and said he looked more like a flying squirrel because the wings drooped too much. At first I was annoyed, but then I looked at the photos and she was right. So I cut the wings down by about 4 inches and added some wire to make them stand up. This year I put him in the same costume but with the fix, and people actually asked where I got the dragon suit. Has anyone else had a friend's comment totally change how you do a costume?
Honestly I spent like 20 bucks on a proper dog costume last Halloween and it was a floppy mess. Then last week I grabbed a fake grey beard and a plastic wand from the dollar store for 3 bucks total. I trimmed the beard to fit my corgi's snout and taped the wand to his collar. He stood there like a grumpy old wizard and the photo is hilarious. Anybody else have luck with cheap DIY costumes over store bought ones?
Last year at the neighborhood costume parade, my corgi kept shaking off the bun part until a little kid pointed and yelled "look at the naked wiener!" and that embarrassing moment finally made me add velcro straps. Has anyone else had a costume fall apart mid-parade and had to get creative with fixes?
I dressed my pug Winston as a little ghost for Halloween last year and he just looked like a lumpy pillow. The sheet kept slipping over his eyes and he walked into the coffee table twice. Then I cut smaller eye holes and added a tiny glow stick inside the sheet and suddenly he looked actually spooky. Now whenever I think about costumes I spend way more time on the little details that make the whole thing work. Anyone else have a costume that looked totally different after one small change?
I was finishing up a felt lobster tail for my cat last night and the cheap glue gun just stopped melting halfway through the shell. Tried plugging it into a different outlet in my kitchen but it was totally dead, wasted 2 hours of cutting felt. Has anyone else had a craft tool fail right before a pet photo session and had to improvise with tape?
Last October I dressed my dog Max as a hot dog for the first time and he literally froze and wouldn't move for 20 minutes. Just stood there looking betrayed. I felt so bad I almost gave up on pet costumes entirely. But this year I tried again with a simple lion mane that just velcros around his neck. He pranced around the living room like he owned the place and even posed for photos. I think the difference was starting with something less restrictive and giving him treats every time I put it on for a week beforehand. Has anyone else had a shy pet that eventually loved dress up? How long did it take for yours to stop acting like you were punishing them?
So last Halloween I dressed my pug Louie up as a taco with the little felt lettuce and everything. He was standing on the porch while I handed out candy and the mailman walked up with a package... Louie turned around and bit him right on the ankle. The mailman just laughed and said "guess he's a spicy taco" before handing me the box. Has anyone else had their pet's costume backfire on them like that?
I was scrolling through some old photos my cousin posted on Facebook from her first apartment near downtown Austin. There was this picture of her bulldog Winston stuffed into a bumblebee costume that was way too small, wings half ripped off. It got me thinking about how much pet costumes have changed in 17 years, back then it was all cheap polyester and velcro that fell off after five minutes. What was the first costume you ever put on your pet and do you still have the picture?
Honestly, I thought hot dog costumes were so played out and basic. Last October my buddy kept pushing me to try it for his costume party. I spent $12 on a foam bun and felt pretty dumb at first. But when I snapped a photo of my beagle in that thing with mustard stains on his ear, I couldn't stop laughing. Has anyone else found a cheap costume that ended up being way funnier than you expected?