Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the October 22 flipbook.

Last Halloween, Noah Krivi and his family dressed up their 12-year-old dog, Buddy, in a children’s bumble bee costume: wings, antennae headband and all. So began an annual tradition. 

“That was the first time we did it, because COVID had been kinda rough, so we were just looking for things to make us feel better,” the biology sophomore said. 

This year, Buddy will be dressing up as a wizard, but not just any ole regular wizard, Krivi said. Mickey Mouse’s hat and robe in Disney’s Fantasia segment “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” acts as the inspiration for the K-9’s costume. 

Krivi said he came up with the costume idea randomly, after an unsuccessful attempt at finding an option at Petco. He said he will probably purchase from the children’s costume section at Walmart again. 

Angela Li, an unspecified business sophomore, also began dressing up her pet — an almost 3-year-old domestic shorthair cat named Mavis — for Halloween last year as a distraction from quarantine. The costume? A pumpkin outfit Li bought at PetSmart. 

Mavis will be dressing up as a hotdog this year, another PetSmart find. Li said she enjoys  taking pictures of Mavis dressed up and seeing how adorable she looks in her costume. 

“Her little face and the costume are just so cute,” Li said.

Mackenzie Ejuma said she and her mom get satisfaction from dressing up her two Yorkies, Maksim and Mikayla. 

“We just like seeing them dressed up. We dress them up for Christmas, too, in little tutus,” Ejuma said. “It’s just really cute to see them (in costume).”

Ejuma, a sociology freshman, said she purchased a football player and cheerleader costume for her dogs to wear this Halloween. Maksim will be the football player and Mikayla will be the cheerleader. 

In past years, Maksim and Mikayla dressed up as other iconic duos, such as an angel and devil. Like Li’s cat Mavis, they also dressed up as pumpkins one year. 

Ejuma said she did not have a specific costume idea in mind for her dogs, she just liked the football player and cheerleader outfits she found at Target. 

“Really, it’s Target’s fault, because they always get me,” Ejuma said. “I never really plan on dressing (Maksim and Mikayla) up, and then I see (the costume), and I’m like, ‘That’s so cute,’ so it just kind of happens.”

For UT students, and pet owners in general, dressing up a furry friend for Halloween holds a deeper meaning, one beyond superficiality. 

“(Putting a Halloween costume on one’s pet) is part of the Halloween spirit because a lot of people feel like they themselves are too old to dress up now, so they like to project and dress something else up like their pet,” Li said. 

Krivi said dressing up his dog Buddy brings him happiness and acts as a sort of creative outlet for him.

“(Dressing up Buddy for Halloween) is a little bit of a way to still celebrate and have a little bit of fun, because I don’t go out and I don’t party for Halloween or anything,” Krivi said. “It also makes me feel good. I don’t know what it is about it, but it makes me smile.”