So, to say I am not a fan of a pet in a costume may be an understatement. I tend to like things that are a bit more natural (no ketchup for me) but with January 14th is National Dress Up Your Pet Day and I wanted to do a bit of research as to why those folks that like to dress up their furry friends deserved their own day. I must admit that after an hour or so of looking at these cute little bundles of fur all dressed up in some of the craziest costumes ever, my heart softened a bit and I started to see why owner’s do this to their pets. This does not mean that I’ll be putting my 106 lb. Lab into a unicorn costume but I do understand a bit more now.
I found costumes that ranged in price from very inexpensive (just a bow) to a Game of Thrones inspired dragon that was going for $1800 bucks and I noticed three companies that stood out so I will give them to you in no particular order with my observations about each one.
Nice Pet Products - these guys are probably the least expensive company I researched. Their costumes tend to be a bit more tame and “cartoony”. These are going to be some of the easiest to put on as many seem to be just a printed pet hoodie but nonetheless the quality looks decent and there is some variety if you want to step out of the hoodie box. I love the soccer jerseys shown below.
California Costumes - These guys are pretty cool. I really enjoyed looking through their line. I absolutely love this Frankenstein costume you can see here .
They seem to have better quality and more of a selection than Nice Pet but they look like they are going to be a bit more work and may not be suited for antsy or scratchy pets. The prices are also a bit more than the lower quality manufacturers but in this case you get what you pay for as the material looks better as does the quality.
Finally and possibly my favorite is Rubie’s Costume Company - Rubie’s seems to be a great company that has a great philosophy. The price is on par with the other two companies but the quality and materials seem to be far beyond most other companies I researched. Rubie’s also has a Big Dog Boutique which caters to those massive mastiff’s and Krazy Big Komondor’s. I still have yet to pull a trigger on one so my Lab is safe but some of these costumes are absolutely adorable.
I’m still not convinced but you guys go ahead and shop away, some of these costumes are great. Talk to you guys later.
Chris
