Earlier this week I shared the Halloween favor I created for this year's annual Halloween bash -- chocolate dipped oreos packaged in festive Chinese takeout containers. I'm excited to see how they're received by our party guests this weekend at our shindig (and will have the full rundown on the party for you next week, including our favorite costumes). But why should the humans have all the fun at Halloween?

Apparently I'm not the only one that has had this thought. This weekend the wonderful Old Town boutique store owners are putting on their annual animal Trick-or-Treat event, headed up by Anna from The Dog Park (Lulu's favorite local store), celebrating Halloween for all of the area's four legged family members. Once a year, on the day following the kid trick-or-treat event, costume clad dogs and their human escorts meet up at The Dog Park to pick up a treat bag with goodies, along with a map. The map points the way to the boutiques and shops in town that will be handing out dog-friendly sweets for the special occasion, and prizes are given out for the best costume. Last year we had a ton of fun taking Lulu from store to store as she became a glutenous little Ori Pei, snapping up both treats and affection at nearly every turn. To this day, every time we pass by some of the stores where she had the most fun, she still pulls towards the front door.

I can't tell you how much I love this idea of pet friendly Trick-or-Treat. In the past at Christmastime, I've adopted the tradition of delivering tasty homemade treats to my friends and neighbors (like last year's ceramic baking dishes filled with white chocolate bark), but I've also remembered my four legged friends too by way of mailman and bone shaped dog biscuits wrapped in cellophane bags. As I made my Halloween party favors earlier this week, it dawned on me that I'd love to contribute something to the doggie Trick-or-Treating event that we had so much fun enjoying ourselves. I mean, the kids can't be the only ones to enjoy my favorite holiday! 

I asked the The Dog Park if and how I could participate, and they were happy to oblige and welcomed my contribution! I quickly got to work, and at Lulu's direction, picked out her favorite treats. Lulu settled on pumpkin and blueberry, peanut butter, and sweet potato all natural flavored treats.

Now I realize that the recipients of the treats care primarily for the contents of the bag rather than the aesthetic appeal of the package, but I didn't want to simply assume that every pup is lacking a discerning eye for cuteness. So I set out to make the packaging fun, including polka dot ribbon and cute tags with a Halloween message.

We set up a packing station on our family room coffee table where Alex loaded up clear cellophane treat bags with an assortment of goodies, I tied on ribbons and primped the bags, and Lulu's played her critical role and favorite part of the endeavor as quality control specialist of course! Trust me, she kept a very close eye on the assembly process.

If she spied a single broken or misshapen treat along the way, it didn't make the cut and was properly...disposed of. Where it all went, we're not sure, Lulu runs a tight ship and doesn't like to divulge her QC secrets, but we know those little broken pieces disappeared, never to be seen again.

Each cellophane bag consist of four treats, a mix of each type, along with a happy festive ribbon. Our little assembly line knocked the whole thing out in no time.

I also figured this was a perfect opportunity to introduce myself as a pet loving Old Town real estate agent (and the rest of Virginia too) with a friendly message of Halloween fun. I can't tell you how happy I am to be contributing these treat bags to the event, almost nothing makes me happier than when animals are happy. I think I'll surely be giving these out to some of Lulu's neighborhood friends as well. 

As far as Sunday is concerned, Lulu is currently debating her costume options. It's neck and neck between Halloween bat...

...or black widow spider. 

Or maybe she'll keep it simple and wear her very stylish sequined candy corn sweater from the photo at the top.

Oh good grief. It's official. I'm one of those people that have a wardrobe for their dog. We won't even talk about the pink Snuggie that she owns, or the Cleveland Browns jersey that she's quickly becoming too embarrassed to wear, as those stories are for another day. Even Lulu looks ashamed to be seen in those costumes in the photos. I can't say I blame her.

Anyhow, I dropped off all of the loot with The Dog Park and we are looking forward to Sunday's events. For anyone in the area, we hope to see you there!

For full participation details on the Dog Trick-or-Treating event, check out The Old Town Boutique District site for more information. 

Do you do anything special for Halloween in your neighborhood? Any local traditions or unexpected gestures? In addition to candy for the kiddos, maybe you pass out adult bevies or treats for your four legged friends? Alexandria is a beautiful place to call home, and the fact that it's so dog friendly further cements its place in my heart.