Photo: Shannon Langley

Fall. More importantly, October. Mmmm... can't you just smell it in the air? With October comes Halloween...er... Howl-o-ween. Dog costumes have evolved over the last few years and are ever popular; time to show them off!

Bring your spooky pooches out trick-or-treating. Here are some events in the Raleigh area:

1. All Raleigh/Durham PetSmarts will be holding an in-store costume contest on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 from 6:00pm to 8pm. Winners get store goodies!

2. Dogtopia of Cary is hosting a photo contest. Take a picture of your dog in their cute, original or hair-raisingly spooky Halloween costume and submit it to your local Dogtopia by Thursday, October 22nd. Photos may be emailed to the store or dropped off at the front desk. Find your nearest Dogtopia location here.

Visit the official Dogtopia blog at www.doggyblogging.com for voting beginning Friday, October 23rd! Toys, treats and play at daycare are up for grabs and one lucky dog will be chosen from each location to compete in the national contest with a grand prize of a 5-Day Daycare Pass!

3. On Saturday, October 24th, the SPCA Curtis Dial Pet Adoption Center holds the 3nd Annual Howl-O-Ween celebration (from 2:00pm to 5:00pm), complete with crafts, treats, games, and SPCA dogs modeling the newest Halloween costumes, this event is fun for the entire family.
Also during the event, we will ask you to vote for your choice of Best Black Cat in the Shelter. This annual feline pageant helps dispel the “unlucky” myths surrounding black cats  at Halloween by celebrating the wonderful black cats at the SPCA.

4. Paws4ever is holding their 2nd annual Howloween contest to kick off Pitt Bull Awarness 2009. This event is located in Mebane, NC on Saturday, October 31st from 10:30am to 3:30pm at the paws4ever Dog Park.

 Stay tuned for Part 2  of the Howl-O-Ween events! More events to come as they are announced.

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