We went to PetsMart at Spectrum Mall on 19th Avenue/Bethany Home Road. Brandy and I dressed as Witches. I had on my old college graduation gown that I altered and glued green moon and spider web (with fake green spider hanging loosely), that I cut out from cookie cutters onto my Witch hat. I actually stitched in the moon color and the spider web pattern. I glued fake orange spider onto Brandy's Witch hat. I also glued on web paper onto our Witch hats. I had on a long black front white-streaked wig that went down past my knees. It fit so snugly; how hard it must be for some to handle very long hair ala singer Crystal Gayle(!) I love long flowing hair. I wore silver spider/web necklace and polished my finger nails black. A gal asked how long it took to put on my Witch makeup. About fifteen minutes. I made sure not to get too gaudy as not to overshadow Brandy. I make that policy whenever I do portraits with my Furkids. Brandy was very calm, and she got compliments for being so motionless! She was pretty much the main attraction, and somebody even wondered if she was a real cat and not a stuffed animal because of being so still as she napped on the waiting table. She did, however, 'mew' whenever we took trial and final pictures (to perfection) and during the contest judging. I guess she got sick of it and wanted to go home already, LOL. How common for girly kitties! Customers asked me questions like where to pay, etc., because I was standing at a table (waiting for the contest to begin) looking official with Brandy being the only cat. Brandy won 3rd place ribbon and a $5.00 PetsMart gift card! Two laidback Great Pyrenes dressed in handmade costumes won 1st and a yappy Chihuahua dressed as a Pumpkin won 2nd (human companion dressed as a Witch). We also got collar charms. I later thanked the PetsMart staff for choosing Brandy and me. They took a picture of us as winners. There were about 15-20 participants (a pretty good turnout considering the heavy construction outside in the neighborhood and possibility of rain) and most were dogs. Brandy was the only cat. There were 3 ferrets. Yummy refreshments were served (thank God- I was darn thirsty!): Halloween cookies, sodas, and candy varieties. I took some leftover cookies and candies home. A good time was had at this worthy event... I support and encourage events like these to help keep the communities active, as well as keeping pets socialized out of their familiar home environments. I am elated that I participated this year with Brandy; last year, PetsMart only had an online photo contest, and I submitted a picture of Rudy wearing a Pumpkin Hat (didn't win). So, I am appreciative there was an in-person contest! from petsmart.com: (snip) The Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest & Photo Event is Tuesday, October 24th from 6 pm-8 pm. It's another one-of-a-kind pet and Pet Parent event you'll only find at PetSmart. The exciting event will feature: An exclusive glow-in-the-dark photo package which includes one Polaroid® of you and your pet plus a glow-in-the-dark photo frame for $4.95 with your PetPerks® savings card ($6.95 regular retail) A costume party at 7 p.m. where Pet Parents and their pets will show off their boo-tiful costumes. Awards for the best costumes: 1st place - $20 PetSmart gift card 2nd place - $10 PetSmart gift card 3rd place - $5 PetSmart gift card Free Howl-O-Ween collar charms for the first 100 pets* We hope to see you and your pet at this howling event! *While supplies last. (/snip)

(above image is a rubber stamp of a Persian cat wearing a Witch hat w/ cape made by Creative Images!)

We were back at the same PetsMart location for the 2007 contest! For this year, I took Melody. Brandy had her 'fun' last year(!) When I previously learned that PetsMart's picture frame this year would be a pumpkin, I jumped at the chance to wear my Candy Corn Girl costume that I purchased last year. I spotted it at Wal-Mart for child-size only- no adult that I could find. Since I am average-height for a grown gal (5'5") and slim, I was able to fit in the long shirt- which was actually a dress for a girl's size. I wore light yellow jeans-type pants and white tennis sneakers. The wig was a teensy-bit small, and I was able to find a way to fit it snugly on my head with the help of bobby pins, as I would be walking around in public with the wig on the entire time. The wig behaved very well, and I never had to fix it throughout the evening. I puchased the costume on discount as it was a bit dirty (like, fell on the floor at the store), as per my request to the nice worker there. I am fortune enough to be able to purchase a quality costume ("Fruitylicious" brand) at a decent price; when I checked online, the costume set was expensive and usually out of stock. Whew! The little wig will now sit on my jack-o-lantern. I purchased Halloween makeup on sale for a quarter last year (Tiger theme) and noticed it had yellow/orange/white, which would be perfect for this costume. I put yellow across my forehead, white across my eyelids, orange across my cheeks/nose, and white again across the bottom half of my face. I applied in a horizontal fashion to replicate the actual candy corn candy (oh, by the way, I do not love this candy flavor, but then again, I am not a candy junkie). I also even wore candy corn earrings. I found a decent Pumpkin hat on sale at PetsMart long ago, for Melody. What a brave soul she was that evening: enduring the hat (I rehearsed Melody beforehand, to get used to wearing it and doing a practice pose in front of a mirror- she seemed to have 'gotten it'), being in a lukewarm store full of happy dogs (she was the only cat for the contest!) all eager-beaver to win a coveted ribbon, posing again and again with me for the perfect picture (they used digital instead of Polaroid because the frame is too big for Polaroid size), and simply going on a trip to/fro the store. One lady complimented that cats usually don't handle this scenario very well and was impressed with Melody. When I initially walked in the store, the participants were a bit enthralled at my costume and struck up conversations with me. Must have been the big tall wig and wondering whether I made it myself? When they noticed Melody as I opened my duffle-bag pet carrier, they responded as if she was a movie star, saying how beautiful she was and inquiring if she was a Persian. While Melody was very-well behaved, she wasn't too keen at being there and slightly hissed at the one gal for attempting to pet her. Maybe she didn't want the gal to touch her Pumpkin costume?? Ha-ha. Melody and I won 3rd Place! What a surprise coincidence with last year's contest. The store manager explained to all of us (approx. 15) participantst (and the two winners) that he was impressed with Melody and my efforts in the prepping of our costumes, that he just had to pick us for my effort. The Witch and her Chihuahua were surprisingly back this year (the ones who won 2nd Place last year), and she instantly recognized me and was surprised to see me again (and vice-versa)(!!) She, again, wore a Witch costume (different design), and her Chi dressed as a Bride...they won 1st Place. The Westie dressed as an Alligator won 2nd Place. (Looks like cats are second bananas to dogs?) In place of the gift cards, we got free bags of treats (of the same value per winning ribbon). Upon returning home and after a good bath for Melody and shower for me, Melody enjoyed munching on her prize treats being hand-fed by myself. What a Queen...alas, she deserved it, right? (snip) Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest & Photo Event Tuesday, October 23, 2007 from 6-8 p.m. at a PetSmart store near you Try our exclusive Howl-O-Ween photo package, including: A digital photo of your costumed pet An exclusive collector frame [of a big beautiful pumpkin] Enjoy a howling good time! Enjoy a free Howl-O-Ween event pet collar charm to the first 100 pets (while supplies last) Purchase one 4x6 digital photo and exclusive collector frame for $6.95 ($4.95 with your PetPerks® card) Enter the Pet Costume Contest at 7 p.m. €prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! We hope to see you there! (/snip)

(above image is a rubber stamp of a carved cat design on a pumpkin made by Stamp Francisco!)

Well, here I go...back to the same PetsMart location to partake in yet another costume contest of theirs this year! This time a dog- my new pup Romeo! I thought I'd try to help him win something so that he could have something to show off for his new resume. When I checked and found that their picture frame for this year would be a 'dark' theme, I figured I'd wear something that represented something gothic and dress Romeo in a dark theme, too. I found a hooded spider cape very very cheap and also spotted a Devil hat and cape for Romeo, cheap also. While 10-month-old Romeo was a learning and growing puppy, I wondered and even hoped that he would wear his costume. Happily, he obliged and enjoyed it(!). "Spider Girl & her Devil Dog". More than a few people showed up that evening. Some dressed up with their pets, some dressed their pets only. In attendance were an excitable Pug wearing a hat, a white toy Poodle dressed as a bumble bee, a white Terrier-mix(?) wearing angel wings, another white Terrier-mix(?) wearing a generic costume, a black Terrier-mix(?) wearing a black costume (whose young owner, a girl, wore a black cat costume), a tabby kitty (who hissed at Romeo!) dressed as the Court Jester, and a guinea pig wearing nothing (mother & son owners). No big dogs, huh... After the photo session and parade ended, prizes were awarded. Romeo and I won 3rd place ($5 gift card)! Yay! (Seems like 3rd places are my magnet!) The tabby kitty won 2nd ($10 GC) and the white Poodle won 1st ($15 GC). We got 2 bags of goodies from their sponsors to take home. The staff took a picture of us winners and gave us copies. It was a warm evening (too warm, I might add), but Romeo had a great time and was very well-behaved and acted like he knew we were in a costume contest. He also enjoyed being ridden around in the shopping cart, sitting in a duffle-type carrier on the front of the cart! A good time was had... (snip) Trick or Treat, Smell My...Paws? PetSmart® Gives Pets Something Good to Eat, Wear and Do This Halloween PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwire - October 1, 2008) - A recent PetSmart® (NASDAQ: PETM) survey shows that one in 10 pet parents dressed their pets in costumes for Halloween last year. With more than 160 million dogs and cats in the U.S., this means that at least 16 million of them are wondering what their loving pet parents have in store this year. Pets and pet parents can take comfort knowing that PetSmart has the latest in Halloween pet products and costumes, and a costume party and photo event to keep pets well-heeled and tricked out this Halloween. "Every year more and more pet parents dress their pets up for Halloween and include them in the fun," said PetSmart Dog Fashion Expert Rashell Cooper. "Pets are members of the family, and just like kids, they will sport the latest trends in costumes this Halloween." Cooper expects favorite Halloween pet costumes from 2007, like the pumpkin, witch and princess costumes, to be popular again this year. "Our angel and devil costumes are back this year, which some pet parents will buy for the same pet." New exclusive costumes include a bumble bee, replete with a stinger, a cow and a mail man with the saying, "Mutt Mail." All dog costumes are available for less than $20 U.S. ($22 CAN). "We can't forget about the cats," said Cooper. PetSmart has a line of Halloween cat hats including a devil, witch, pumpkin, clown and -- of course -- a mouse. "People don't believe me when I tell them that cat costumes are a huge hit with our pet parents. No one thinks their cat will wear a hat, but many of them will!" Cat hats are $6.99 U.S. ($7.99 CAN). For the first time, PetSmart has a variety of costumes featuring favorite Disney characters, including Snow White, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. For the pets or parents who think less is more, PetSmart also offers traditional orange- and black-themed collars and leads, hats and tees. Along with a variety of Halloween dog toys, PetSmart offers a teddy bear wearing a pumpkin or devil costume that is an exact match to the dog costume. "It's a fun and unique way to incorporate Halloween into everything that makes pets -- and their parents -- happy," said Jim Smith, senior buyer of toys for PetSmart. Howl-O-Ween Costume Party and Photo Event Pets and their parents can model their favorite Halloween fashions during PetSmart's annual Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest and Photo Event on Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event, which will be held in all PetSmart stores, will include a costumed pet parade from 6:30-6:45 p.m., and a Best Pet Costume Contest from 6:45-7:15 p.m. Winners of the contest will be selected by the audience and will receive PetSmart gift cards worth $20 for first place, $10 for second place and $5 for third place. The first pets to arrive at the event will receive free goodie bags filled with treats and coupons. Pet parents can capture the excitement of the night with a digital photo and Halloween-themed frame for $4.95 with their PetPerks® card. "Participating in unique activities, such as PetSmart's Howl-O-Ween event, strengthens the bond between pets and their parents by creating new ways to spend time together," said Suzanne Hetts, a certified animal behaviorist and owner of Animal Behavior Associates. "Anytime pets and their families can do things together both at home and away from home, it creates stronger relationships, and happier, better socialized pets. The Howl-O-Ween event provides a safe environment and a great opportunity for pets and their parents to be together and have fun." (/snip)

(above image is a rubber stamp of a Shih Tzu dog wearing a witch's hat made by Rubber Hedge Hog!)

~~~~~~~~~~ © 2006-8 Karen Catalioto e-mail Brandy & Melody & Romeo! Photos 2 / Halloween and, come check out our PetsMart Christmas '05!

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