Yesterday, hundreds of owners dressed up their pups and paraded them around Tompkins Square Park for the city’s largest and most famous Halloween costume contest for dogs. If you and your mutt missed out on the East Village’s big event, fear not, there are still plenty of opportunities for costumed canines across the city.
This coming Saturday, Brooklyn’s largest Halloween dog costume contest, the 14th annual Great PUPkin, will take place in Fort Greene Park. The increasingly popular event and its 100-plus participants typically bring a uniquely Brooklyn brand of edgy but family-friendly creativity to doggy dress-up.
“We’re scruffier,” says Great PUPkin founder Kath Hansen of the difference between hers and the famous Tompkins Square event. “All the Manhattan-Brooklyn comparisons come out. They’re slicker, more organized, but we have heart,” she says. “Every year, I’m surprised at how creative people get.”
Looking to dress up your dog and compete? Hansen and longtime Great PUPkin participant Robin Lester Kenton have these words of wisdom:
Do
: Go Local
“Things that are specific to New York City are always funny,” says Lester Kenton, who points to this well-crafted costume depicting “A Tree Growls in Brooklyn.” Playing to the literary Brooklyn crowd, this artful homage to the classic book won the top prize in 2010.
Don’t: Get Political
While cute, last year’s “Rick Puppy” didn’t take home a ribbon; this year, if you want your dog to stand out and win, it’s perhaps best to avoid election-oriented costumes. “We’ll see a lot of politicians this year,” says Hansen, remembering past doggy Sarah Palins and even a “Bark” Obama.
Do: Go Simple But Smart
Simpler costumes, like this one, “can be just as fun,” Hansen says. The owners used their dog’s Elizabethan collar as the makings of a martini glass, added a few olives, some human James Bond outfits and voila!
Don’t: Make Your Dog Uncomfortable
Between the miniature wig and shoes, Lester Kenton’s Chihuahua, Marshmallow, didn’t enjoy her adorable Dorothy costume. The former Clinton Hill resident has since opted for comfier outfits. “It’s going to be more stressful if your dog is constantly trying to chew off the costume,” she says.
Do: Be Topical
Ripped from the headlines, this 2009 “baloon boy” costume “was pretty basic,” Lester Kenton says, “but it was funny and timely.”
Don’t: Be Too Obscure
“It was funny for the adults,” Hansen says of her dog’s Evel Knievel costume last year, “but the little kids didn’t know who he was.”
Upcoming Doggy costume contests
* The Great PUPkin
Ft. Greene Park, Brooklyn; Saturday, Oct. 27; registration opens at 11 a.m., contest starts at noon, $5 suggested donation to enter
*Canine Costume Carnival
Rockaway Freeway Dog Park/Beach 84th St., Queens; Saturday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; arfarfrockaway.org; free
*Brooklyn Howl-o-ween
Brooklyn Promenade, Remsen Street entrance, Brooklyn Heights; Sunday, Oct. 28, 1-3 p.m; register at Perfect Paws (102 Hicks St., Brooklyn Heights; 718-852-6200), $25 to enter
* Bronx Howl-o-ween
Canine Court, Van Cortlandt Park, The Bronx; Sunday, Oct. 28, noon; pre-registration required, 718-796-4541 or go to pawsacrossamerica.com; $10 to enter