Halloween is fun for everyone, especially if you have a pet! It is the one day a year you get to dress up your little one and get lots of laughs without getting accused of being a wannabe Beverly Hills debutante. Dressing up your dog for Halloween means creating a handmade costume yourself or purchasing one at a store or online. Make sure you avoid masks and dangly beads or other objects to avoid choking or restriction of breathing, otherwise, the sky is the limit!

Dogs are the easiest to dress up, but cats, parrots, ferrets, chinchillas and other pets can join in the fun, too! If you are making a costume yourself, start with a basic vest and build from there. A vest that can easily be taken on or off from underneath or on top, using velcro or snaps, is the best way to begin your costume. Make sure to allow plenty of room for the legs or wings and avoid any thing unneccesarily constricting.

Besides rolling around on your carpet with glee as your laugh at (I mean, with) your humiliated pet in his or her costume, be sure to capitalize on the occasion by taking lots of photos and submitting them to pet costume contests. Prizes and fame are sure to be yours, depending on how elaborate or fitting your pet costume compliments your little one! Remember to be inventive and create costumes that work with your pet's personality and natural features. He or she will be sure to sell it more convincingly in your Halloween photoshoot, if you choose costumes that work with their look.

Here are some of the Halloween Costume Contests for your pet that you can enter:

• Good Housekeeping
• Martha Stewart
• Petco 
• Animal Planet
• Doggyspace (a Myspace for dogs only :)

In addition to nationwide costume contests, do a little searching around your local community and you are sure to find events happening in your area. Pet parades and Halloween parties at the dog park or in community centers are happening all over the place! Check out this great resource I found, listing a few of the Halloween Happenings throughout the country for your pet this year.

Remember to keep your pet safe and indoors on Halloween night. Malicious pranksters run amuck October 31st and many pets are stolen, tortured, or killed on the holiday, every year. Also, keep your little buddy upstairs or in a back room, away from the front door. Halloween can be very upsetting for animals who do not understand the kids' costumes, shrieking, constanting knocking and doorbell ringing. Not only is it frightening and distressing for even well behaved, docile dogs... the stream of trick-or-treaters and scary lawn displays can cause a dog to become aggressive out of fear.

Also, remember to keep all candy away from your pets. Chocolate especially, is potentially fatal to dogs. And if you want to show off your pet's costumes to friends or family, remember to start out early and return before trick-or-treating is underway to insure minimal stress to both your pet and the children.

The lanterns, candles, dry ice, and moving Halloween decorations you may decide to adorn your house or lawn with, are also potential hazards for curious puppies or cats. Place these items around your environment with care and keep in mind that wagging tails and curious noses may push or knock over lit candles, so keep them up high. Dry ice should never be touched or ingested, by humans or animals.

Let your pet know that you love him or her and shower her with extra affection and calm, assertive energy during the Halloween season. Keep your pet safe and never endanger them for kicks. If your pet resists a Halloween costume or is unnerved by it, skip it. Halloween can be enjoyed by your and your pet, so do it with love and remember to share the pumpkin bread!

Special Halloween dog treats will let your little guy or gal know you are serious about making all Hallows Eve a real treat, for both of you to enjoy! Have a happy Halloween and may the force be with you!