Howl-oween is almost here, and the big question is: does your pet wear a costume, or not?

** Pet costume photos from Costume Craze.

After years of struggling with my infant daughter to stop ripping off her bonnet (Can you believe I made a child wear bonnets? What was I thinking, we were in Little House on the Prairie?) I’m not endeared to the idea of forcing anything small and cute into an outfit against their will. But, if the dog is into it, then why not? Extra attention for a pooch is always a good thing.

I’m guessing that those who are into dressing up for Halloweeen are also those who enjoy dressing their pets up for Halloween. I’m not big on costumes myself, so I rarely put a costume on my dog. I don’t think Kelly would go for it anyway. But I must admit, I did just see the cutest reindeer costume in Target’s bargain bins for $2.50, and at that price, I figured why not give it a try? But when I got it home and held it up to 28-lb Kelly, it was too small. Oh darn.

Numerous parades and parties for your canine trick or treaters abound. This Halloween pet event in the St. Louis area benefits humane shelters.

Buzzfeed posts some amusing pictures of creative dog costumes. Some of the dogs, such as Orange Juice Dog and Eaten by an Anaconda Dog seem to be enjoying their outfits. Others, such as Milipede Dog and Pot Roast Dog, not so much.

If you want to help your pet feel comfortable while on display, ArkAnimals offers these tips to train your pet to wear a Halloween costume.

Finally, in addition to costumes, there is also “creative grooming.” Woman’s Day offers these photos of painted poodles and otherwise wackily-groomed pooches. As Woman’s Day reports, “we don’t condone it, we just report it.”