Halloween Costumes for Dogs Fetch $200

[Champ]

By JIM FITZGERALD, Associated Press Writer

HARTSDALE, N.Y. - Sure, any old dog can go out trick-or-treating in a mass-produced costume. For less than $30, he can be a pumpkin, a devil, an astronaut, a cheerleader or — oh, the insult! — a cat. But what about that very special pooch, the dog whose fur should never touch vinyl and who wouldn't be caught dead in the same costume as the mutt down the block? Enter: E&E Hallstrom Haute Couture.


The high-end clothing company for dogs has added a line of elaborate costumes to its handmade fashions. For $200 to $240, the Hartsdale, N.Y.-based company, outside New York City, can turn Rover into Rigoletto, Max into Merlin the Magician and Cleo into Cleopatra.


"Dogs like to feel glamorous," says Eva Hallstrom, 41, who started the business with her sister Eleonor Hallstrom, 45, after being laid off from a publishing company last year. "You give them a nice haircut, a bath, you put on a beautiful outfit, and they are just so happy."


The costumes are made from silk, velvet, leather and brocade. They feature collars, buckles, detailed embroidery, fringes, semiprecious stones and pearls. They are fastened around the dog with snaps or handsome buttons.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=816&ncid=816&e=2&u=/ap/20041029/ap_on_re_us/dogs__duds_halloween

[Burma Jones]

1. Dogs, Fetch, ha ha ha ha ha