Torture

As my last post was a bit, er, angry...today's will be sunnier.  Halloween is fast approaching and I haven't decided what the girls should go as.  I say "go as" as though they will be going somewhere.  The reality is, if we buy them costumes, it will simply be for our own pleasure.  They will not be seen as they really aren't the "going to the pet costume contest" type of dogs.

Although we have had further improvements!  This morning Nyxie battled walkers (not the kind with the tennis balls on the ends of the legs, but the strolling kind), a whole herd of club-swinging golfers, a dead squirrel, and a biker.  The walkers we simply avoided but at closer range than before, treats given, no problem.  The golfers stirred a bit of anxiety as she heard the metallic "clack!" of the club sending the ball into orbit.  There was a whole bunch of them milling about admiring themselves very close to where we were waling, and the sheer number of them was a tad overwhelming.  She's never seen that many crew neck shirts in one location.  And all of them "armed"?  How very odd it must have seemed to her.  A few looks back at them, a few extra treats given, no problem.  As for the biker, I saw a bit too late to get off the sidewalk, so I pushed her back towards the golf course perimeter fence and made myself and the treats her total focus.  One longing stare after him, extra treats given, no problem.  The squirrel?  She didn't even notice it and we had to step right over it.  On our last walk I saw his poor lifeless body, so robust, that I had to be sure he was really deceased.  Today, he'd been moved and all that was left was hair and skin.  I suspect the coyotes had a midnight snack of him.  Even the scent of another predator I figured would trigger some reaction.  She didn't even attempt to smell it.  Hmm...interesting.  Well, to me it was.

Neither girl is ready for a public venue, though.  Arwen could handle people beautifully - she's a total ham.  Eats up all the adoring attention.  But dogs are a different story.  As for Nyxie, no way.  A few select people, maybe, but no crowd of strangers.  So the costumes would really only please me and T.  She's already discussed how to pose them for pictures, etc.  Matt will roll his eyes, but secretly enjoy the whole thing.

So what should they be?  Clowns?  Devils?  Witches?  All of these are fitting....I've also considered the rider costume where a Headless Horseman or cowboy is straddling the dog's harness so it looks as though they're riding the dog.  Too cute, but the Cowboy would end up headless if Arwen managed to slide him around for a bite.  And the Headless Horseman?  Well, I think Nyxie might look like the perfect black steed of death until her tongue comes lolling out of her big, goofy grin.  I just can't decide...

Whatever we choose, the girls will enjoy it all.  They'll love the big smiles, the photo shoot, the attention and the adoration.  One more arduous sacrifice for pack life.  Will anyone else be torturing their dogs this Halloween?