7 Costume fans kick it up a notch Nasa Athena Wong's Pomeranian, Silky, as Wonder Woman. ANA ROSE WALKEY PHOTO When your dog dresses in lions clothing Owners who dress up their pets for Halloween take costumes to a new level By ANA ROSE WALKEY et costumes are cute. They are not always safe. Last year, the number of people who dressed up their pets rose by two per cent from 2015, according to the National Retail Federation. Dressing pets up for Halloween is becoming more popular with owners, but they need to be cautious when picking their costumes. Kellie McCutcheon, senior mar- keting manager at Pet Valu said that owners have to make sure the costume fit their pets comfortably, otherwise it may be a serious haz- ard. “Costumes that are too tight may limit circulation, cause painful rubs and, in some instances, interfere with their breathing,” McCutch- eon said. “However, if the costume hangs loose, your dog may trip or get tangled in it.” According to Dr. Michael Dodds, a veterinarian at the Kerrisdale Veterinary Hospital, this practice is both cute and safe. He said he re Tania Akehurst's wiener dog, Tripp, dressed in a lion costume at Barking Babies in Yaletown. 4n4 ROSE WALKEY PHOTO does not see any significant health risks when dressing up your pets for Halloween. “T think, most of the time, people that are putting their animals in costumes are relatively into their animals,” Dodds said. “So they're kind of concerned about what they do.” Pet owners say they will be dress- ing their animals in costumes such as lobsters, superheroes and skel- etons this year. Athena Wong, a Vancouver dog owner, said her Pomeranian, Silky, loves wearing clothes, including her unicorn, police officer, reindeer and Wonder Woman costumes. “Silky really likes being dressed in her clothes, but it depends on the pet if they'll like it” Wong said. Tania Akehurst, a top dog retail sales associate at Barking Babies, a boutique for dogs in Yaletown, said pet costumes are becoming more popular, especially for pet owners who choose to wear the same cos- tume as their pet. “I think it's fun to match with somebody and it's easy to make your dog match with you,” Akehu- rst said. According to Akehurst, Wonder Woman is the most popular match- ing costume for people and their dogs to wear this year. When it comes to trick-or-treat- ing with your pet, Dodds said own- ers should take extra care with their pets, as loud noises can easily spook them. He suggests leaving your pets in a safe place at home on Hallow- een night. “The dogs aren't really going out for the chocolate,” Dodds said. Homemade disguises oh-sew TooAY en fg REAM BIG. q Nickie Lewis sewing a costume at her studio in Burnaby. vATAii4 BUENDIA CALVILLO PHOTO BUENDIA CALVILLO PHOTO Nickie Lewis showing the fabric of her new brown post-punk costume. NATA//A . * Some die-hards who create their own cos- tumes, don't limit them selves to Halloween By NATALIA BUENDIA CALVILLO ven though there is a wide E range of easily accessible costumes that you can pur- chase, a core group of people who are very invested in making their own, still exists. People who make their costumes said they enjoy it because it is a creative outlet and a way to express yourself. Some people would still like to make costumes, but lack the time to do so. Nickie Lewis, a designer who makes costumes year round for events like Burning Man, owns The Wizards Makery. "It allows [people] to express a part of themselves that otherwise they would not be able to express," said Lewis, who was a chili pepper this year during a costume party. Mikkel Svendsen for six years has been a part of the cosplay or ‘costume play’ community where people of all ages gather and wear costumes of their favourite fictional characters. For Svendsen, making trendy a costume is a way to socialize and display skill and creativity. “It opens you up to a whole new community,” said Svendsen, who this year will be wearing a Guro Lolita costume during the day and an Annabelle cos- — tume on Hal- Mikkel loween night. Svendsen “It just helps COSPLAYER me feel free and more outgoing. I love showing off all the hard work I’ve done on the costumes.” Due to assignments and exams around Halloween, some students do not have enough time to make their own costumes. Langara student Raseel Dal- gamount, a mother of two, found alternatives for costume-making in her busy life. She said she buys different accessories and pieces of costumes to create a unique charac- ter combination. “Even if you are buying it, you can still make your own costume by picking the right pieces,” she said. “I buy them because I don’t have time but I would’ve [made my own].” ‘This year, Dalgamount said she will be a tree if she has the time to put together the costume. People celebrating Halloween who will be dressing up in a costume. The rough number of seeds ina pumpkin. The average amount spent ona Halloween costume. Percentage of parents who admit stealing candy from their kids. SOURCE: WWW.HISTORY.COM/ WWW.STATISTICBRAIN.COM/ NRF.COM/