Spooky Pooches On Show at Naughty Mutt Nice Costume Competition
The annual Naughty Mutt Nice Halloween costume competition saw a spooktacular turn out of dogs on Saturday 30th. From 5pm, the Reading Road shop was packed with pooches (and their owners) all eager to claim the title of Best Dressed.
Each of the four-legged competitors was given the chance to strut their stuff on a red carpet, and prove to the judges just why they deserved to win. As ever, there was many a pup dressed as a pumpkin, along with cowboy, dragon, and spider costumes — all of them as cute as the next. The competition was so strong that the judges found it tricky to choose a winner, said Karole Robertson, owner of Naughty Mutt Nice. “It was really hard,” she stated. “A lot of people entered this year — much more than last year — which was lovely to see, and we had more judges. We took more than five minutes, and it was hard, but we all agreed on the same winner in the end.”
Haribo, the 4 year old Maltese, scooped first prize for his heartbreakingly cute spider costume. Haribo was dressed and escorted by the Milner family, with 10 year old Lucy Milner choosing his winning attire. Tania Milner, Lucy’s mum, explained how they came to choose the costume, saying, “He’s about the size of the spider, and we thought it was different — everyone would be coming as pumpkins and ghosts.” Haribo won a full groom and spa treatment of choice, along with a large bag of Lily’s Kitchen dog food.
There was more than one winner on the night, with Vince stealing a very worthy Runner Up prize for his homemade dragon costume. Vince’s owner/seamstress, Rosie Copus, said, “I’m thrilled. It started with an emergency trip to Hobbycraft where I found the wings. I felt that the wings alone weren’t enough for a pageant, so I had to add some more. I made the hat and the tail and the anklets this afternoon. I’m glad to see that my dog’s humiliation wasn’t for nothing.” Vince was awarded a hamper of dog goodies and a nail clip.
Speaking on how they chose the winners, Karole Robertson said, “They really used their imagination and put a good effort in. The outfits complimented the dogs which was really nice to see.” All of the competitors got a treat in the form of a goodie bag, making the Naughty Mutt Nice Halloween parade a truly paw-some event for Henley’s dogs.
