November 4, 2016
Announcing the Winners of the 2016 DogWatch Halloween Photo Contest!
DogWatch asked for the best Halloween photos of your dog in costume, and you delivered! We received over 400 entries, featuring some of the spookiest, funniest, cutest and most creative dog costumes we’ve every seen! The DogWatch team had a blast going through all of the amazing entries and voting for our favorites. With so many fantastic candidates to choose from, it was VERY difficult to pick the winners. The votes are in, and we are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2016 DogWatch Halloween Photo Contest!
Third Place: TIE – Sprocket and Ratchet as “Barking Bad”
What could possibly make “Breaking Bad” – one of the most popular and critically beloved TV shows of the last decade – even better? Dogs, of course! Ratchet a 6 year-old male Boxer, is high school chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin Walter White and Sprocket, a 6 year-old female Boxer/Pit Bull mix, is his former student turned accomplice Jesse Pinkman. Mom Jenn from Upton, MA did an excellent job gathering all the trappings of the “Breaking Bad” world, from the “Heisenberg” hat, yellow hazmat suits, bags of the blue stuff and the iconic RV from season one.
Ratchet and Sprocket are both rescue dogs. According to Jenn, Sprocket “loves to eat baby carrots, talk like Chewbacca and play with her squeaky piggies. She is a lap dog and biggest snugglebug that loves to smush her face against yours.” Her brother Ratchet is a “champion butt wiggler. He enjoys curling up by the wood stove with his cat sister Naya and going for car rides that let his jowls flap in the breeze.” We could tell they were softies underneath those fierce costumes!
Sprocket and Ratchet, out of costume and all smiles!
Third Place: TIE – Oscar as “Paddy Wagon”
Officer Oscar on patrol in the paddy wagon! We loved this Doxie’s creative costume, making perfect use of his special wheels. Plus, the little lick of the tongue added that extra touch of saucy cuteness!
Oscar is a 6 year-old Dachshund from Elmira, NY. He suffered an Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) episode two years ago and became paralyzed. But according to mom Krysten, Oscar has no idea anything is wrong with him. “His favorite toys are tennis balls and squeaker toys – he likes to see how fast he can defluff and break them,” she says. “He also loves to chase his remote control car outside.” Sounds like Oscar and his wheels won’t be slowing down any time soon!
Second Place: Oliver as “Alf”
Who could forget ALF, the prank-loving, messy alien with a boundless appetite who crash-landed on Earth and found a home with the Tanner family. The lovable joker was known for his fondness for cats…as a snack. Oliver the Goldendoodle brings this 1980s TV icon to life in this pitch-perfect costume, complete with cat sandwich (don’t worry, no real cats were harmed).
Oliver is a 3 year-old Golden Retriever/Poodle mix who lives in the Greater Smokey Mountains region of North Carolina. Mom Bree says her photogenic pup is “very fun and playful, but he’s also very lazy and snuggly and mostly likes to relax at home.” Oliver has amassed quite a following on Instagram thanks to his mom’s fantastic photos, including several others featuring Oliver in more hilarious costumes (see below). “His favorite treat is peanut butter, but he will do anything for ANY kind of treat,” says Bree. “His love for food is how we got into training him to do tricks and pose for photos. He doesn’t mind it at all, because he knows he’s going to get such a good reward!” Future Instagram dog stars, take note!
First Place: Bear as “Mummy and Skeleton Carrying a Pumpkin”
Bear the Mini Aussie is this year’s first place winner! We loved his creative ensemble featuring not one but three staples of the Halloween season – a mummy, a skeleton and a pumpkin! Plus, Bear’s bright-eyed smile lights up the photo and reminds us all what we love most about our pups – their boundless joy and love of life!
Bear’s mom Sophie tells us that her 6 1/2 year old, 25lb dog is a bundle of energy who loves playing with his brother Buck, a 64lb yellow Lab/Golden Retriever mix who Sophie took in after her was found wandering in her neighborhood after being dumped from a truck. Bear and Buck love running around their yard in Santa Barbara, CA, and their hidden fence from DogWatch of Santa Barbara is a great way for them to get their exercise, enjoy the sunshine and stay safe. Congrats to Bear, and we hope you stay spooky, sweet and smiling all year long!
Bear out of costume, and his brother Buck (inset)
Honorable Mentions
Cutest Puppy
Bailey Mae, a 7 month old Cavapoo, is one precious Beanie Baby. (Photo by Krista Wertman Reist.)
Cutest Kitten
Super (tiny) Kitten! (Photo by Sarah Brookes.)
Cutest Group Photo
Dorothy (Sophie) and her Oz buddies the Scarecrow (Bobby the horse) and the Cowardly Lion (Max the Mastiff) are off to see the Wizard! (Photo by Jennie Drescher Price.)
Best Villian
Beatrice Ticketyboo makes a purrfect Cruella DeVil. “I hear there is a DOG contest on this page. Have you any with spots in this contest? Why? Oh no reason.” (Photo by Michelle Duni.)
Cuddliest
Kinzie the Havapoo brings to life everyone’s favorite British bear Paddington! (Photo by Shelby Pushchak.)
Most Creative
Divot the Scuba Dog! (Photo by jkstingray via Instagram.)
Splash, a 4 year old Border Collie is a mouse in a mousetrap! (Photo by Ann Williams.)
Watch out, Atlas! Pac-Man is right behind you! (Photo atlas_atl via Instagram.)
Best Costume For Dogs Who Hate Costumes
Cupcake the Pomeranian doesn’t like to wear costumes, so her mom used her skills with non-toxic, pet-friendly hair dye to transform her into Pikachu! (Photo by Charity Rael.)
Cutest Video
Brooklyn the Frenchie celebrates her first Halloween in style! (Video by ilovebirdthings via Instagram.)
We’d like to say a very big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year’s DogWatch Halloween Photo Contest! And if you don’t already, follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@dogwatchfence) to see the rest of the Halloween photo contest entries!
