Is It a Pumpkin? A Witch? No…It’s Fido

As far as I am concerned, the world comprises two types of people: those who don't dress up their pets, and those who do.

I happen to subscribe to the latter, and would never, ever stand in the way of any self-respecting canine's wish to express his or her creativity. Besides, sometimes the weather calls for a sweater or, perhaps, a pair of galoshes.

Allowing a pup to go sans costume on Halloween? Unthinkable. The definitive highlight of last weekend for me was going shopping to find a get-up for my mother's dog Sir Meister, a feisty bichon frise who, despite weighing in at a petite 11 pounds, has more than enough personality to live up to his name. (In case you were wondering, he'll be dressed as a jockey on Halloween.)

So, as you might surmise, I was in my glory on Thursday at the 2nd Annual Howl-ween Pet Costume Contest at Kellogg Park. The place was teeming with all kinds of canines dressed in creative couture.

Rocky, a Boston Terrier who was dressed as a banana split, was the first to catch my eye. I spotted him and his owners, Amanda and George Krinke of Plymouth, ambling away from the registration table. The Krinkes told me that this is Rocky's second Halloween (he was a turtle last year), and he already owns several themed ensembles. Actually, one could say that holidays are Rocky's thing: he also has a pair of skeleton pajamas, a Santa Claus suit, and an elf costume.

Goodness, I wonder what Rocky will wear to Thanksgiving dinner…    

Next I encountered Bear Bryant who was dressed as a hot dog, but not just any old frankfurter. No, Bear, whose nickname is "B," was a fancy-schmancy hot dog, complete with ketchup, mustard, and speckles of relish. I asked his owner, Tony Piotrowski of Taylor, how he arrived at choosing it; come to find it, the process of elimination did all the work.

"The funny thing is, it was one of the only costumes that fit him because he's too round, and he's not tall enough to fit in the other ones," Piotrowski said.

Now, if you're thinking that you've heard the moniker Bear Bryant before, it's because you have: Bear's namesake is none other than the late Bear Bryant, the University of Alabama's longtime head football coach. (Alabama is Piotrowski's alma mater.) And, yes, I checked: "B" owns quite the collection of football jerseys and crimson and white varsity sweaters.

And speaking of school pride, Diane Biega was standing just a few yards from "B" all clad in green and white with two tiny Spartans in tow. Now, the ardent Wolverine that I am, I must admit that my knee-jerk reaction was Oh, no. Not here, too. (Nowadays State paraphernalia is like crabgrass – it's everywhere.) But in all fairness, it's MSU's time to shine, and, besides, it's hard to be cantankerous when you come toe to toe with two adorable shih tzus. What an icebreaker. I even wished Biega good luck against the Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday, and because her dogs were so cute, I actually meant it.

Aside from sports and requisite spookiness, I also spied some owners who got in on the Halloween action. Charlene Skonieczny of Farmington is a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and the gang, and her choice of costume reflected this. Both she and her Shih Tzu, Mariah, were dressed identically as Tigger. Furthermore, Skonieczny went the extra mile to have Mariah's outfit custom-made.

"I found it at Once Upon a Child…it's a toddler costume, and we [Skonieczny and her friend] redesigned it for Mariah," said Skonieczny.

Skonieczny and Mariah weren't the only team effort. It was hard to miss Beauty and the Beast's Mrs. Potts and her accompanying teacup. Alicia Fleehart of Westland and her Chihuahua, Chip, are old pros at this.

"We were trying to top last year's, which was Dorothy and the Scarecrow. I was Dorothy and he was the Scarecrow," said Fleehart.

Chip is like "B" in the sense that, clearly, he is challenged in the size department, only Chip is on the teeny-weensy side. I asked Fleehart how in the world she managed to find anything to fit Chip, seeing as though his body looked to be the circumference of an empty role of toilet paper.

"My mother made it," she explained.

Then there was Baxter who was dressed as a unicorn with a blond princess on his back. Baxter is part of the Caragay family of Plymouth. I asked daughter Emily for the story behind Baxter's get-up while her mother, Amy, held the extremely energetic cockapoo at bay.

"I came home from school and my mom had four costumes: a dinosaur, a lobster, a blow fish, and this one. So we laid them out to see which one he'd pick. He picked the lobster, but it was too small," Emily said.

I wish I had as many wardrobe options as Baxter.

Lastly, there were several duos comprised of two canines. Denyse and Juli North brought their dogs, Bubs and Diamond, who were dressed as a football and cheerleader, respectively.

And then there were Bear, a Saint Bernard, and Diego, a Bullador (Bulldog-Labrador mix), who walked away with the top prize for their coordinating costumes – Bear was a member of the ski patrol, while Diego was a skier. Julie Price and Adam Allen of Plymouth left no stone unturned when it came to dressing the pair. Both dogs had on ski goggles; Bear wore a red quilted vest with the words Ski Patrol on each side; and Diego even had a pair of skis mounted on his back. As winners, Bear and Diego walked away with a swag bag loaded with goodies including toys, an array of dog-related items, and gift certificates. Now that certainly tops trick-or-treating the old fashioned way, I'd say.

Make no bones about it, Halloween is not just for the kiddies anymore.