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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Vic chapter.

The air is cool and crisp, and the sun sets every night before dinner. Winter squashes adorn doorsteps and you can’t go anywhere without hearing “Spooky, Scary Skeletons” and “Monster Mash”. It’s October, and you know what that means: time to figure out how to dress your dog for Halloween.

I’ve long since given up on trying to put together a Halloween ensemble for myself that stuns or impresses anyone, so now I turn my attention to my dog. Being exceedingly cuter than myself, whatever she wears is sure to prompt “ooh”s and prolonged “awww”s from trick-or-treaters. Here are five costume ideas for your dog this Halloween.

1. Beanie Baby

Think your dog looks cute enough to be a stuffed animal? Try turning them into a Beanie Baby. Follow this link to find a simple tutorial on how to make a Beanie Baby tag for a low maintenance, adorable costume.

2. Breed Jokes

If there’s a common cultural icon associated with your dog’s breed, you can play that up for a costume. The classic example is the wiener dog turned wiener. Try a firefighter’s hat for a Dalmatian, and a police officer’s cap and badge for a German shepherd. If you don’t know the history of your dog’s breed, search it up for inspiration.

3. Superhero

With the rash of superhero films lately, you don’t have to look too far to find an awesome superhero costume design. Everyone will tremble in awe (and adoration) at the sight of your dog dressed as the Hulk or Captain America. For further proof of this, see this lovely photo of my dog Lilly dressed as Wonder Woman.

4. Another Animal

Have you seen this adorable Amazon commercial? The family golden retriever is dressed as a lion only using a fake mane, which makes this costume super easy. You could also attach a shark fin to your dog’s back, or use black and red antennae and a red coat with black spots for a ladybug costume. If you feel like scaring the bejesus out of trick-or-treaters, you could use eight hairy legs to make your dog a spider.

5. Pokémon

There’s lots of Pokémon that resemble dogs, like Houndour or Umbreon. With a few neat accessories, such as elongated ears or an elaborate tail, you can finally have a Pokémon outside of your phone.

Originally from Surrey, British Columbia, Arianna Cheveldave is a fourth-year student at the University of Victoria. As a writing major with a professional communication minor, Arianna is proud to be the managing editor of Her Campus at UVic. She loves Italian food, national flags, and having a clean desk. When not locked in her room studying, she enjoys choral singing, watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and reading things that aren't textbooks. Depending on the occasion, she is known to always have ready a quick remark, a listening ear, or a bad pun.
Ellen is a fourth year student at the University of Victoria, completing a major in Writing and a minor in Professional Writing: Editing and Publishing. She is currently a Campus Correspondent for the UVic chapter, and spends most of her free time playing Wii Sports and going out for breakfast. She hopes to continue her career in magazine editing after graduation, and finally travel somewhere farther than Disneyworld. You can follow her adventures @ellen.harrison