Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved Halloween, especially the festivities that come with it. For one night, I’m able to transform into a completely different person, and there is an added bonus to boot: I’m able to dress my pets up with me. 

From pirates to princesses, there’s an endless amount of costumes you can dress your pet up as. I decided, as an early Halloween celebration, to dress up my maltipoo and golden retriever as cowboys. 

Though the pictures may look cute, getting the costumes on both of my dogs, Goldie and Tofu, was one of the most challenging tasks I’ve ever attempted. From scratches to bite marks, my dogs were intent on making this an arduous task. With the help of a few spoonfuls of peanut butter, I was able to complete the chore of putting both costumes on my dogs.

For my entire childhood, all of my pets have been my companions and friends. Although owning any type of pet is a lot of work, having pets throughout the pandemic helped in many more ways than I ever could’ve imagined. 

After a tough day of online school or a stressful study session, I was able to take a break from Zoom and hug my dogs. I could feel my pent up emotions and feelings melt away as I embraced them. Throughout quarantine, my dogs are what kept me sane.

 My pets were also an excuse to get out of the house. During quarantine, I would usually lie in bed all day binging a new Netflix show. However, being able to go on walks with my dogs allowed me to stay active and not sit in my room all day. 

Last year, when Halloween came around the corner, I was still able to dress Goldie and Tofu up, even though we weren’t able to go out to trick or treat. 

Quarantine was definitely a hard time for everyone, but having my pets by my side made the isolation from the outside world a lot less lonely. Getting to dress up my pets once every year always results in cute photos I can look back at all year long.