Why We Can't Help Dressing Up Our Pets

Dogs are even more adorable in costume, right? (Photo: Corbis)

For some, Halloween means candy. For others it means unleashing our naughtiest inner children. And then there are those of us who use our dogs to bring attention to ourselves. I can’t help it. I’m into dressing up my longhaired miniature dachshund. And I’m not alone.

The American Pet Products Association tracks a 50 percent increase in the purchase of costumes and clothing in recent years, now at well over $50 billion annually. And it should come as no surprise that the spending spike on Halloween for dogs is the same as it is for adults who are just as into the holiday as the kids are.

“Dressing dogs up isn’t part of our show culture, but it’s definitely something people are doing more,” David Frei, USA Channel’s co-host of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show tells me. “But if the dogs are OK with costumes then so am I.”

Clearly, in a world in which everything is an opportunity for display, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or pet-friendly hotel lobbies (a trend that came with the recession to boost reservations), people are figuring out more ways to use dogs as social lubricants.

That’s why for any given holiday (not just Halloween) you might find my dog, Zoloft (that’s right, that’s her name) and me at Target, Kmart, or Petco. On Independence Day and Bastille Day I put her in red, white, and blue. Halloween has her in Harry Potter drag. Election Day? Wonder Woman Tutu! Thanksgiving? Handmade foliage headdress! Christmas is her Mrs. Claus dress and Easter is all about bunny ears.

She is always game, and never seems at all uncomfortable. But then, dogs live to please us, don’t they? They’re also never ashamed, even when dressed by the shameless.

Bob Morris is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and the author of “Assisted Loving: True Tales of Double Dating With My Dad.”  His next book will be out in June.