A Guide To Buying Pet Costumes Online

Pet owners looking for special costumes to dress up their furry friends have lots of online options to choose from. Here’s a mini-guide to five of the better online sites that offer pet costumes to consumers. It includes website URL’s, label information, costume selections and a brief review of why the website is a good place to shop for pet costumes. The guide also includes information on how to select a costume for your pet based on some first-hand experience working at a retail store that sells pet costumes. Here’s hoping you find this pet costume guide useful!

How to pick a costume for your pet

Selecting a costume for your pet isn’t easy. Pets who like to wear costumes have special needs that most pet owners forget about. For example, most cats and dogs prefer wearing costumes that fit well and are easy to get out of quickly because cats and dogs need to feel secure in their surroundings. Furthermore, if you occupy a ferret or other small mammal, you know how hard it is to acquire a costume for it that fits well while also allowing it to do things like use the restroom. This makes some pet owners very leery about the whole conception of putting a costume on their pet. However, I can tell you from putting an occasional costume on my cat that it’s possible to make the experience of wearing a costume fun for both the pet and for you.

Responsible pet owners who understand these things can take steps to ensure that the costume they rep for their pet looks good while also keeping them safe and sound. Here’s how to do it.

Measure your pet for a costume first. To do this, follow these three easy steps:

– Measure the length of your pet’s head to the base of your pet’s tail. This is the “top line measurement” that you might online when they characterize the sizes of costumes they have for sale. .

–Next, measure your pet’s collar size and leg size. To do this, gently station a tape measure around your pet’s neck (or leg) and read off the circumference you see. If your pet won’t let you do this, it might be a good idea not to buy your pet a costume!

–Finally, measure the width of your pet’s chest. To do this, place a tape measure gently around your pet’s chest starting at its widest point and wrap it around. Read off the circumference you see. The widest point is usually around the front paws. This measurement is the most important one of all because most pet clothes sold online are measured from the chest area only.

Look around before you buy.

Now that you have your pet’s measurements, here are a few tips to remember when you shop online for a pet costume.

– Always get a costume that is tad bit bigger than your pet’s actual size. Because every website has its own way of describing costume measurements, buying a costume one size bigger will give your pet more freedom to depart around in the costume. This freedom is necessary because your pet has to be able to do things it normally does when it’s not wearing a costume.

– Don’t buy anything fancy. Fancy costumes are expensive and they don’t last long. Furthermore, most pets can’t stand wearing more than one or two piece-costumes because they tend to obtain bulky, hot and itchy. If you have ever worn a three piece business suit, you understand what I mean.

–Finally, be sure you get a costume that allows your pet to go to the restroom when it needs to. Some pet owners forget this tiny but significant detail with horrid results. Most costumes will have a little vent on the back end that allows the animal to go do its business without making messes. Be sure that the vent is on there and that it is sewn on correctly.

Finally, let your pet dictate the action.

Most cats and dogs will tell their human friends vehemently what costumes they will tolerate. If your pet doesn’t like what you are putting on its body, don’t force the pet to wear it. Instead, explore for something else your pet might enjoy wearing. Our pets have feelings too and they deserve to be respected.

Now that you know how to look for a pet costume, here are five websites that are very good sources for pet costumes and accessories.

Petco (http://www.petco.com/) has a nice online selection of costumes for cats, dogs and small mammals that are “One Size Fits All.” This takes the guesswork out of having to guess what size costume to get for your pet–How nice! Costumes for cats include capes, hats, wigs and other one-piece costume elements that give cats the security they need to feel comfortable wearing the costumes. For dogs, Petco has a great selection of wrap-around one-piece costumes that include occupational, sports and novelty themes. There is also a nice selection of wigs, hats and e masks for dogs that make dressing up Fido fun for both you and your dog. For small mammals, there’s a nice selection of t-shirts and Halloween costumes that come in lots of neat colors.

While they mainly cater to owner during the Halloween season, many of these costumes are fun to wear anytime of the year. Prices range from about $5 up to $20 for all items. This makes it possible to shop for fun costumes for your pet without breaking your budget.

Costumes, Inc. (http://www.costumesinc.com/) has a broad selection of cat and dog costumes that is regularly updated. Their selections include a nifty karate suit and a bride’s outfit that would make a dog wedding much more special. All pet costumes sold by Costumes, Inc. are measured using your pet’s neck size. Sizes will range from extra-small to extra-large. Costume, Inc also caters to obese pets. Their selection of “plus size” costumes is one of the best on the Internet. In addition, cat and dog owners can procure many good bargains because most of the costumes cost $10-$25. They have a fair exchange policy and the easy check-out process makes ordering a breeze.

The Anytime Costume company (http://www.anytimecostumes.com/) has been in business for more than 55 years. Their website is a respectable indication why they’ve been in business so long. The company features a large selection of one-piece pet costumes for Halloween and other special occasions. Their Halloween selection is especially salubrious. The best parts about shopping at the company’s website are their friendly customer service and their fast shipping. Most orders arrive within seven working days via UPS. The firm offers a fair exchange-only policy on costumes that allows you to trade your order in for any reason. The prices aren’t half bad either. Most costumes go for $10-$30. From personal experience purchasing a costume, I suggest that you use your pet’s neck and chest measurements and then order the next size up. This will ensure you get the right size in most cases.

The Costume Kingdom company (http://www.costumekingdom.com/) normally specializes in costumes for people. These days their website offers a nice selection of one-piece Halloween costumes for small and medium-sized pets that have special themes. Some of the cuter costumes include a “Dorothy” costume from the Wizard of Oz and a SpongeBob Squarepants outfit that makes small and medium-sized dogs look their best on Halloween. . Most costumes cost $10-$25 with a few others about $30. The website also features a nice selection of sale priced items that sell for less than $10. The checkout process is a snap to use and the very fair exchange policy makes exchanging unwanted costumes for something else a breeze.

Finally, Halloween Street (http://www.halloweenstreet.com/) has a very comprehensive selection of Halloween pet costumes that are categorized by themes. Some of the best themes include a “retro” section of 1950′s and 1970′s pop cultural icons, sports related costumes and nifty Cowboy and Bumble Bee outfits that fabricate any pet look cute.. Most of the costumes are one-piece numbers that wrap snuggly around your pet’s chest. Therefore, chest measurements are a must if you’re going to place an order. Most costumes cost about $10-$25 and the firm also offers a 15% discount on all at checkout. The firm’s easy check-out process makes it easy to checkout and their customer service is top notch, too. When I e-mailed the firm about their return policy, I received a quick and friendly response. You have 48 hours to exchange a costume if it’s the wrong size or damaged. All exchanges must be made by October 27th. If that’s not good customer service, then what is?