Your kids have been picking out their own Halloween costumes since they could point, but there’s one family member you can still force into the outfit of your choosing. No, it’s not your husband…it’s the family dog. And with so many costume pet parades around—some of which award prizes, and many that raise money for good causes, like supporting animal shelters—you’ve got a great excuse to get Fido in on the Halloween fun in 2012!
Not a pet owner? Not a problem! You only need to be pet lovers to make a day out of a pooch parade. Some even offer kid-friendly activities. For example, you can count on face painting, an origami table, and other kid pleasers at October Tails in Verona, or find hippity hop horses, pumpkin painting, and innovative booths like the “smooch a pooch” at the Howl & Hike in Succasunna.
Costume fun by county:
Bergen
- Woofstock, 10/28, 10 am-5 pm; Municipal Circle Park, Tenafly; Dogs only; free.
Essex
- October Tails, 10/28, 12:30-4:30 pm; Verona Park; 973-322-4792; Dogs only; $.
- Strut Your Mutt, 10/20 (rain date: 10/27); Essex County Brookdale Park, Montclair, registration 8:30-9 am, parade 10 am; Essex County South Mountain Reservation Dog Park, Maplewood, registration 1:15 pm, parade 2 pm; 973-268-3500; Dogs only; free.
More pets on parade—>
Hudson
- Canis Minor annual Halloween Pet Parade, 10/27, 12-4 pm; 31 River Drive South, Jersey City; 201-626-5545; Dogs and other pets; free.
- Hoboken Pet Parade and Fair, 10/7 (rain date: 10/14), 1 pm; Maxwell Place Park & Pier; Dogs and other pets; free.
- P.I. Paws Annual Halloween Parade, 10/27, 12-2 pm; 1500-1 Avenue at Port Imperial, Weehawken; 201-766-1392; Dogs and other pets; free.
Middlesex
- Ninth Annual North Brunswick Dog Walk-a-Thon, 10/14, 11 am-3 pm; North Brunswick Community Park, Route 130 South; 732-713-3532; $.
Morris
- All Howl’s Eve Dog Parade, 10/20 (rain date: 10/21), registration 10-11 am; Town Hall/police station parking lot, Morristown; 973-255-9775; $; email for info.
- Howl & Hike Dog Walk and Family Fun Day, 10/14, 12-4 pm; Horseshoe Lake, Succasunna; 973-347-0378, ext. 106; $.
- Morris K9 Campus Fall Festival – Tips, Tricks, and Tails, 10/28, 12-4 pm; Morris K9 Campus; 1 Aspen Dr., Randolph; 973-252-5100; free (dog/cat food donations accepted).
- 8th Annual Pet Costume Contest and Parade, 10/6, registration 11:00 am-12:15 pm, parade 12:30 pm; Municipal Field/Gazebo on Main St., Chester; 908-879-6569; Dogs and other pets; pet food donation requested.
Renée Sagiv Riebling is a freelance writer from central New Jersey. She and her husband and two children are always on the lookout for new and exciting adventures.
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