From a fearsome fire-breathing dragon to the Littlest Hobo, Jezebel the French bulldog has a flair for Halloween costumes.
This tiny black spitfire has a collection of disguises that would put most humans to shame.
The Edmonton dog has been dressing up for the spooky holiday for years, with the help of her owner Ainsley Hillyard, a local dancer and choreographer.
“Absolutely, she loves it,” Hillyard said in an interview with CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM.
“She’s pretty much one of the most patient dogs I’ve ever met.”
Hillyard and Jezebel are so crazy about Halloween, they hosted their own dog costume party Sunday night, where furry guests were served tiny pet-friendly meatloaf with mash-potato icing before hitting the town.
“We had six dogs and one cat actually come to our party and we all went trick-or-treating,” Hillyard said with a chuckle.
“The cat went trick-or-treating as well. The owners had back-pack thing that had a little bubble on it so it could be like an astronaut.
“It was really fun.”
Jezebel stopped by the studio @EdmAMCBC to get us in the #Halloween spirit. She’s extremely cute & soft. And a very good sport. pic.twitter.com/tx0ipDK4ZY
With trick-or-treating set to get underway in just a few hours, Hillyard has some advice for last-minute Halloween costumes for your dog.
She acknowledges that getting pooch perfectly spooky for Halloween is no easy task. The logistics of getting your pet actually dressed into the costume can be a struggle.
The mere sight of a costume will send some canines, and cats for that matter, running in horror.
Hillyard recommends “couple’s costumes.” This way most of the costume burden is placed on the owner, not the pooch.
While there are plenty of store-bought options to choose from, many costumes can be created with Dollar Store supplies.
With a little rubber ducky, you could easily assemble a Snoopy and Woodstock costume. Or get crafty — transform a pop can into a barrel to disguise your dog as a St. Bernard rescue mutt.
Let your dog be Toto to your Dorothy, or the big bad wolf to your Little Red Riding Hood.
“Some thoughts that Jezebel and I had were, you could dress up as some of the more famous dogs,” said Hillyard.
“There’s lots of simple options. You can dress up in a more elaborate way, if your dog doesn’t have a costume.”
No matter what, always make sure your pet is comfortable and be cautious with taking them out of the house in case the night becomes a little too spooky for your furry companion, Hillyard said.
If you’re still in search of inspiration, these tweets from our pet-loving listeners of the show should give you plenty of spooky inspiration.
Listen to Edmonton AM with host Mark Connolly, weekday mornings at CBC Radio One, 93.9 FM in Edmonton. Follow the morning crew on Twitter @EdmAMCBC.
I will never not dress them up. Ever. You are welcome. pic.twitter.com/lAFjOUCnYA
email from Dave showing the vicious 3 headed Beagle. It’s a simple costume of his winter coat winter with 2 beagle stuffies squeezed in pic.twitter.com/ygN0f3D51i
@CBCEdmonton @MarkConnollyCBC This is Mona, Feline Nordic Warrior. The costume stayed on for approximately 3 seconds #halloweenpets pic.twitter.com/4n90PPxbVO
.@MarkConnollyCBC Darwin is Superbeagle! #halloweenpets pic.twitter.com/szEqC5ShML
— @tom_lam
Dressed up my dog for Halloween one time, but she looked so embarrassed, I had to take it off right away. That face!! The shame!! pic.twitter.com/g7uuVBOBdt
My cats hate me but it was totally worth it! Yoda and R2D2 @MarkConnollyCBC @GarretteMcGowan pic.twitter.com/ZYqknig3Hn