[News] Halloween's Becoming Big for Pets

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FERNDALE, Mich. (AP) — As more people involve their pets in the Halloween season, Michigan retailers are expanding their selection of pet costumes.

Michele Carlin, 43, loves dressing up her dogs. This year, her 2-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Ruby, will don a poodle skirt with a pony tail for Halloween and her 12-year-old schnauzer, Bubbles, will be disguised as a sorceress.

"They're like my kids, except there's no adolescence," said Carlin, 43, of Ferndale. "I can dress them up, and they don't complain."

Carlin, who opened The Puppy Boutique in Royal Oak in July, will carry several pet costumes in the store this month. Starting at $16.99, the assortment will include chili pepper, pumpkin, bumblebee and dragonfly designs.

Pet supply stores have carried pet costumes for years, but the popularity started growing in the '90s, Joe Fucini, a spokesman for Farmington Hills-based Pet Supplies "Plus," told The Daily Oakland Press for a story published Friday.

"People started including their pets more in holidays and parties, and they became more like family members," he said.

Consumers will spend an estimated $3.12 billion on Halloween this year, up from $2.96 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Halloween is the second-biggest decorating season of the year.

Pet Supplies "Plus" has a small collection of Halloween costumes, including witches and scarecrows starting at $7.99. But the company sells more pet costumes for Christmas, including reindeer outfits, Santa Claus caps and antlers.

"We continue to see the demand for pet costumes grow," said Theresa Floyd, a buyer for PETsMART. "We do very well with our Halloween costumes. Our pet parents are treating their pets more like kids."

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/busin...ist=mibusiness