Pampered pooches show off their Halloween style | pooches, event ...

With dogs dressed as spiders, lady bugs and cows, a pet fundraising event in Black Forest Sunday was the perfect chance for dog owners to show off their spoiled and costumed pooches.

?I just couldn?t help getting them dressed up,? Sherry Brand said of her rat terrier mixes Susie and Kimmie, dressed as a hot dog and a bumblebee. Each year they each get a new costume and winter coat, she said.

?People think I?m nuts, but that?s OK,? she said.

Susie, Kimmie and about 30 other dogs spent their Sunday afternoon at the Double D Ranch in Black Forest for the first annual Howl?ween Party organized by the Mutts Welcome Meetup group. The event, which included a costume parade, agility contest and lots of dog treats, was a fundraiser for Colorado Springs Together nonprofit organization.

?We wanted a way to celebrate the season by having fun with our dogs and also have a good cause,? said Kyle Davidson, owner of the Phur Seasons Pet Spa, which also helped sponsor the event.

This wasn?t a professional dog show. Mostly the dogs roamed wild, feeling free to sniff each other or wander through the costume contest when it wasn?t their turn. There were a couple of growls, and more than one pooch tried to shake off his costume.

Joshua and Kristy Oliver saw constant costume malfunctions when their pugs Lucky and Daily refused to wear the hoods to their chicken and pig costumes.

?When they aren?t wearing hoods, they love to be dressed up,? Joshua Oliver said. They usually wear sweaters in the winter and when the weather gets warmer, they switch over to their summer wardrobe, he said.

Summer wardrobe?

??They have sun dresses,? he explained. ?And tank tops.?

The winner of the costume contest was Sam, short for Samantha ?dressed as a cow with a fluffy wagging tail. She?s a 5-year-old Pomeranian who was rescued from a puppy mill, said her owner Sarah Larrabee. She said it took the dog about two years to truly be comfortable around her family and she?s still often shy around others.

Larrabee was excited about the win, but said she normally doesn?t dress the dog up.

?Maybe I will now,? she joked.
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Contact Maria St. Louis-Sanchez: 636-0274
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Source: http://www.gazette.com/articles/pooches-146522-event-costumed.html

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