This Halloween, dogs wearing costumes are as hot as a fresh hot dog grilled at the UA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry picnic. Forget the candy; it’s the doggy treats that are worth dressing up for. As a former judge for a Doggie Costume Contest, I believe no one can do the catwalk as well as these pups.
This “barktacular” event was one part of the department’s family picnic. The picnic is an annual department event where the affiliates collaborate with food and fun, bringing along their families, friends and pets. The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department’s program coordinators, Olivia Mendoza and Ellie Warder, and executive assistant Margaret Gomez organized the event. The picnic took place on Oct. 23 at Himmel Park.
“This has been the most doggone fun I’ve had all week,” said fellow judge Gabriel Mercado.
The contest consisted of five categories: best dog team in costume, most humorous, most original, most creative and best overall.
In order to give the contest my full attention as a judge, I walked around prior to the contest to see if some of the dogs had gotten into character. As the dogs got into their costumes, some seemed a little confused while others were totally killing the game and playing their character to the fullest.
A few in particular caught my attention: One pug who was dressed as a cheerleader entered with another pug dressed as a Dallas Cowboys football player and a boxer dressed as the “ruff-furree.” Those three won the best dog team in costume award; it was a given, especially because the pug was a Dallas Cowboys player.
Roux, a chihuahua dressed as the Cheshire Cat, won the most original award. Halloween is a time to be something you are not. That dog definitely pulled off being a cat, which is why the judges and myself thought that Roux was the most unique. Some say a chihuahua is more like a cat than a dog, so Roux’s costume fit like a glove.
It was dfficult to choose a winner among so many cute dogs, at least until Ziggy, a 2-year-old Rottweiler and German shepherd mix, took to the grass to strut his Batman costume. This dog was evidently made for this costume. His posture and stance resembled his heroic character. I did several double-doggy takes; he just played his charisma so well. Ziggy took the best overall award in the contest.
“Bat dog was the hero of the competition,” fellow judge Savannah Sanchez stated.
Sanchez had explained her past experience with dog costumes, which includes her own Chihuahua that she has dressed up as a witch before.
The dogs’ costumes were judged on the humor or fear factor, creativity, originality, presentation and showmanship. The judge’s ballot consisted of what criteria the dogs should present. After the judging took place, each principle was tallied up based on what our thoughts as judges were.
“They are all winners,” Warder said.
Every winner was rewarded with a gift bag filled with a box of Milk-Bone Dog Treats, portable doggy waste bags with attached flashlight for those night walks and two toys, with one being squeaky.
But at the discretion of the dog, most don’t enjoy being wrapped up in material they can’t even tell the color of. The costume contest only lasted around 10 minutes due to some of the contestants getting a bit uncomfortable in their costume.
If you are dressing up your dog or dogs this Halloween, don’t expect them to tag along on your neighborhood outings. It is also best to have your camera settings set up before you put the dog costume on because most dogs are just one-shot wonders once they get in their Halloween attire.
Overall, the contest was a tail-wagging experience. If any cats tell you different, well it’s because they are cats and they weren’t allowed to be judges.
Remember, in a dog’s world, it’s trick then treat. If you tell them “trick or treat,” they will look at you funny because you just gave them a choice and dog tricks are only as good as the treats you give them.
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