The Carolina Beach Pier threw quite the paw-ty on Oct. 25 during their third annual Halloween Doggy Costume Contest, an event where dogs show off their best Howl-oween getups at the seaside pumpkin patch!
The event commenced with a social hour for dogs and their owners to hang out at a spot below the pier, which is currently designated for the Carolina Beach Pier Pumpkin Patch. The contest began right after, the dogs and owners taking their spot on stage with their eccentric costumes.
As each name was announced, contestants walked across the wooden platform — decorated with pumpkins from the patch — and the pet photographer squeaked a toy to get the pets’ attention for pictures. The dogs were each handed a small pumpkin toy as a souvenir for their spooky struts.
There were three chosen winners, all of which were unranked in a tie for first place. The first were a doggy pair: Maggie, a dachshund-beagle mix, and Nadia, a poodle, dressed as Buzz Lightyear and Slinky from Toy Story, respectively. Their owners Ciara and Carissa dressed as Woody and Jessie.
“She dresses up all the time,” Ciara said about her dog, Maggie, who is 12 years old.
When asked about their win, Carissa couldn’t have felt better. “I was hoping so, because [of] the creativity of like, cutting her fur and doing the slinky look,” she said, referring to the silver ring patterns she created on Nadia’s coat.
The second winners, and his owner, were dressed as Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. Next were Phoebe and Honey, two golden retrievers dressed as Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore. The final canine was dressed as Sulley from “Monster’s, Inc.,” with his human parents sporting Mike Wasowski and Boo costumes to match.
Afterwards, there was another hour for socialization amongst the dogs and owners, though most attendees left soon after the competition, with beaming smiles on their (and even their dog’s!) faces.
