Barking Beast San Diego is proud to host the Dirty Dogs Halloween Yappetizer Costume Contest this weekend! There will be contests for best dressed dog, best dressed individual and best group costume. Food and Beverages will be provided and all of our products will be 10% off during event hours, along will be plenty of other spooky treats and surprises for attendees enjoy! This Saturday October 27 2012, 2pm to 5pm at the Dirty Dogs Carmel Valley location. Join us in showing off your dogs fun Halloween costume, compete for prizes, and enjoy some holiday excitement with your San Diego Dog Owning counterparts! We look forward to seeing your Barking Beasts in all their costume glory!

Date: October 27 2012 Time: 2:00pm – 5:00pm Location: Dirty Dogs 4639 Carmel Mountain Road San Diego, CA. 92130 Phone: 858-259-3647 Description: Don’t miss the Dirty Dogs Halloween Yappetizer Costume Event. Bring your beast to Dirty Dogs Carmel Valley in their favorite costume, and compete for prizes and bragging rights. Prizes will be awarded to the top Beasts! ( truthfully every pup will get a prize ) As Halloween has grown in popularity across the country, pet’s haven’t been left out, especially our lovable four legged canines. Here in Dog City USA, San Diego pups are sure to be dressed in the most creative doggy costumes under the sun – and if you think pet costumes are silly, does $370 million dollars of consumer spending on animal fashion sound silly? According to USA today, the National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend on pet costumes this year, up nearly 20 percent over last year. So believe it or not dogs are getting as many popular-character licenses as kids, and San Diego FIDO preparation for the Halloween festivities are in full effect.

At Barking Beast San Diego, while dressing up our pups in costume may be cute to us- many dogs hate wearing a costume, as in, I-will-not-budge-until-you-take-this-off-of-me hate. Even though they look adorable and they get tons of praise for wearing the costume, these do not always want no part of dressing up. (No surprise, it’s usually the big dogs) We wonder, too, if dogs can feel humiliation. So before you go forward with purchasing your pooch’s costume, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when choosing the right costume for your Beast: • Don’t restrict movement. The dog should have full mobility, including ability to walk and sit down without discomfort. Use nothing that digs in the dogs’ armpits. Check the fit of the costume long before you expect your dog to wear it — and if it doesn’t fit, return it. • No masks that cover the eyes, ears or nose. If you stop their ability to be present in the moment, that’s when dogs really start to get fussy. • Impeding breathing? That should be a no-brainer; your dog could actually suffocate. But it’s especially important for flat-nosed breeds such as bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers or Pekinese, who have a hard enough time breathing to begin with should not wear masks or anything nearly tight around the neck as these dogs could cause potential cardiac distress. • Your dog should always be supervised while in costume. That means your eyes, on the dog, all the time. Strings, Velcro, elastic parts can pose danger if chewed or ingested — and if the dog is at all uncomfortable, it will probably chew to free itself. • If you’re going to dress your dog up for an occasion, ease into it early with praise and short sessions. Get him used to having something on his neck or back. Do a five-minute try-on several times, weeks before. “Don’t just spring it on him” • Watch your own costume and the overall environment around your pets, as well. Odd sights, odd sounds, odd smells are all part of the season. Masks and dramatic fabrics can often startle and frighten your dog. Do not take your dog where there is exceptional amount of human costume as costume activity among humans is just too rife of a situation unfortunately dogs don’t understand. While dressing up our beasts for Halloween excitement may be fun for us, the most important part of the festivities is that the dog feels comfortable, happy, and safe. If for any slight reason you notice your dog feels uncomfortable in his or her costume, Barking Beasts highly encourage you take the pup out of the costume and let the pooch enjoy the holiday naked. At Barking Beast San Diego our concern is always the dog’s happiness. Happy Dog = Happy Dog Blog! See you at Dirty Dogs Carmel Valley for the Halloween Dog Festivities!