Time for another Dog Halloween!

Donnie and Dylan for Halloween 2019

Last year, I shared our more recent tradition of celebrating Dog Halloween. We didn’t really think we were the people who would dress up our dogs, but we did it on a whim in 2018 and honestly, the photos bring me so much joy that I can’t even begin to consider not doing it each year.

So, happy Halloween! Our Dog Halloween looks a little different this year. As some folks know, our little Italian greyhound, Donnie, got sick last year. You can read a bit about her becoming a pseudo-tripawd at 14 years old and about why second opinions were so important in her case. In the end, Donnie ended up having a nerve sheath tumor of the nerve roots near her cervical spine (in the neck). This caused her to lose control of one of her front limbs and the tumor was essentially unable to be treated (believe me, we considered radiation and they didn’t feel they could safely do radiation due to the location of the tumor and the fact that it was too tiny in her scans). Unfortunately, the tumor grew into her spinal column and she lost control of all of her limbs. They told us she would lose the ability to breathe, so we let her go in February before that happened.

Juniper in her natural habitat

You’ll notice that our previous years of Dog Halloween include Donnie and I just wanted to share why she’s not in the photos this year. I miss her so much, which is why I haven’t really posted about her — I’m tearing up just typing this. We did adopt a retired racing greyhound this year after losing Donnie, so you’ll see her in this year’s photos! Her name is Juniper and she is being introduced to not only the fine art of becoming a couch dog, but also the annoyance that is Dog Halloween (ha!).

This year, we went with a theme. And I feel like I need to slap a disclaimer on this — we hate the circus. We don’t advocate for the circus and how animals are treated and cared for. BUT we love the Dylan and Juniper circus! Juniper posed some new challenges for me because she often moves too quickly for me to get photos of her in focus. My camera was acting funny during this shoot, so I borrowed my partner’s camera and it required me to focus manually…..which….let’s just say it’s not ideal for taking photos of quick moving dogs. So, please excuse some of the fuzzy photos and enjoy Dylan as ringmaster and Juniper as the fierce lion! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!