Halloween For Your Pets

Before consumers could finish saying, "Happy Labor Day," retailers were busily stocking their shelves with oodles of Halloween candy corn and witches hats. As the first major holiday of the season nears, retailers are ready for Halloween and have been for quite some time.

Promotions, discounts and events are appearing all over online and print advertising at this stage in the game. And, truth be told, there's some pretty creative stuff happening out there.

While you wouldn't initially think of Petco for your Halloween needs, the mega-pet retailer is doing its best to reach consumers for the start of the holiday madness. All Petco stores throughout the United States will host a special pet-friendly Halloween extravaganza, aptly titled "Howl-O-Ween" on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008.

Shoppers can receive a framed digital photo of their costumed pet (yes, pets are now dressing up for Halloween!) at the Petco "Photo Spook-tacular." I swear I'm not making this up. Even better, there will be a pet costume contest, and according to a recent Petco press release, the outfits will be judged based on creativity, attention to detail, and how well the costume fits the pet's personality.

This is absolutely hilarious. I may stop by a Petco store simply to see what kinds of costumes today's pets are sporting.

I wouldn't have suspected that this would be a very big event--I mean, who dresses their pets up for Halloween anyway? Um, actually a lot of people. Last year alone, more than 14,700 people brought their pets in to be part of the Howl-O-Ween event. And, according to the National Retail Federation, consumers will spend approximately $24.17 on costumes this year alone--including for their pets.

I'm thinking next year Petco should host an owner/pet costume contest. How cute would pictures of you and Fluffy dressed up as Sunny & Cher be?!

So, please leave a comment here if you dress your pet up for Halloween (and let us know what Mr. Muffin will be going as this year) or if you've attended this event previously. And feel free to post a comment if, like me, you're rolling your eyes at the thought of costuming a pet. Above all, if you have pictures of a pet in costume--e-mail them my way!

--Heather Strang