I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm a dog person way more than I am a cat person. Yes I love all animals (except for what they do to my allergies...), but if I could, I'd love to have like 10 dogs. I always wanted a golden retriever or husky to just run around with, wrestle with and go hiking with. When I think of "dog," I completely picture a golden retriever. Active. Playful. Big (but not too big). So, growing up, what kind of dog did my family have? Yeah... a shih-tzu. Which is basically a black-and-white mop. With feet. And eyes.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Muffin. Yes, Muffin was a he. And his name was Muffin. And yes, whenever he went to get groomed, he'd always come home with some pretty little ribbon in his hair. I think my friends teased me about it more than the local dog bullies teased Muffin. And for the record, we adopted him from a local shelter. I don't remember what his name was, but my family decided to change it to Muffin. I was voting for Fu-Manchu, but got quickly ignored. Small though he was, Muffin was actually super playful. I could (and did) definitely wrestle with him; I just had to be careful not to crush him. He'd chase tennis balls around and bring them back to me, yet not give them up. So yeah, I'd have to chase him to get it back and toss it again.

One thing I never did, though, was dress him up in costumes. When I see poor dogs or cats wearing ridiculous costumes it makes me both laugh uncontrollably, as well as feel so bad for the poor animal. It totally knows how ridiculous it looks. But when extra treats are on the line, a dog (way more than a cat) will have zero shame. I think I'd simultaneously love and hate to go to a Pet Halloween Party where everyone's dressed in costume. While hysterical, isn't it really some form of animal abuse?

With that said, I'll perpetuate the abuse by mentioning there's a big Halloween Clearance sale on dog costumes over at Drs. Foster & Smith. And while I"m at it, here's a slew of Pet Coupons to keep your pooches or kitties (and wallets!) happy:

COUPON TIME:

Save up to 38% during the Halloween Clearance at Drs. Foster & Smith
Save on Dog costumes, hats, toys, treats and more!

15% off your order at PetFoodDirect.com
Use discount code PERHW15.
Valid through: October 30, 2008
Cannot be combined with other offers. Free shipping items are not included in this promotion

10% off any size order at Petco.com
Use this link to activate the coupon or use promotion code afftxt2.
Valid through: October 30, 2008
Valid online only. Valid on food and litter! Excludes Live Aquatics; Wellness, PetSafe & Innotek brand products; out-of-stock items, Donations, Gift Certificates and gift cards; merchandise purchases through Bottomless Bowl & More subscriptions; shipping and applicable taxes. Additional exclusions may apply and will be noted on the product detail page. One use per customer only. Valid in the U.S. only.

$10 off a purchase of $40 or more at PETsMART.com
Use this link to access the promotional code. Discount will appear in your shopping cart.
Valid through: October 31, 2008, 12:00 noon ET
Discount does not apply to gift cards. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Terms and conditions are subject to change.