It was so wet Saturday afternoon it was like standing underneath a waterfall at times, but that didn’t stop those belonging to the three-foot-tall set and their four-legged companions from dashing to and from stores situated between Discovery and Tolmie streets.
Princesses with rain-resistant, fantasy book hair, part of the tangle of Wild West cowboys, butterflies in tutus, and many different sizes of Darth Vader crammed the sidewalk for the Point Grey Howl kids and pets trick or treating.
All the participating pets were dogs this year (although cats have reportedly attended in drier years past — remarkably also in costume). Participating stores, identified by having an orange pumpkin on site, handed out fistfuls of candy and dog treats, the latter being what saw English bulldog Ruby through the indignity of being dressed as a pumpkin.
“She’ll wear the costume for treats,” said Claire Braaten, 13, who was dressed as an A&W restaurant waitress from the drive-through era.
“Yes,” her dad Torgeir Braaten agreed. “She gets food then all is good, but we don’t have much time here before she gets really, really irritated.”
A tiny lion was spotted a little further down the street but turned out to be Riley the dog dressed in a lion’s mane.
“He loves it!” said owner Mandie Hahm, referring to how she and husband Chris dress up the dog for almost every festive holiday.
Added Chris: “It’s her idea, and I go along with it.”
Riley has made several appearances to the Point Grey Howl, once dressed as a fireman and, another time, a bumblebee. “And on Saint Patrick’s Day, he has a leprechaun costume. For Christmas, antlers,” said Mandie. “And he’s got some nice sweaters for the wintertime.”
There were a few dinosaur-dogs, a cheerleader-dog and a panda-dog. But there were no sightings of any poodles dressed as Snooki or the old dachshund in a hotdog bun stand-by, which is somewhat surprising given that the Halloween costume market for dogs has exploded in the past decade. It’s estimated that our neighbours across the border will spend $350 million on their pets’ costumes this year, according to the U.S.-based National Retail Federation.
The kids and pets trick-or-treating idea was initiated by Three Dog Bakery which has moved on from its West 10th location, and the Point Grey Village Business Association has kept the tradition alive.
Association manager Michelle Barile was pleased with the turnout on both ends even despite the soggy weather.
“It was definitely a wet day but it didn’t stop all the kids from coming out so it was great. There were beautiful costumes, the pet costumes are absolutely adorable” said Barile. “It’s a great community engagement event.”
To make the day even more pet-friendly, cash and food donations were accepted for the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“To see the street alive with families and their pets is a beautiful thing.”
twitter.com/rebeccablissett
