Putting on the Dog : Best-Dressed Pets Compete at Halloween

Susan Rivard, who refuses to miss “stupid pet tricks” on the David Letterman show even if she has to tape it, got into the act herself Saturday with her sidekick, Muttly.

After her night shift as a postal clerk in Westminster, Rivard decided on the spur of the moment to dress her dog in a slightly tailored uniform of the U. S. Postal Service--complete with a small letter bag--for the fifth annual Pet Costume Contest in Santa Ana.

“It’s way past my bedtime,” Rivard said, gesturing to Muttly, “but it’s his first party. He’s so well behaved. He’s a natural contestant.”

Alas, the judges did not agree, and Muttly the Mail Dog finished out of the running in the contest sponsored by Russo’s World’s Largest Pet Store in Santa Ana, which raised more than $100 for the Orange County Animal Shelter.

Among other entries were jogging, aerobic and cowboy dogs, iguanas and lizards dressed as Superman and babies, and a parrot dressed as a pirate.

Judging from the expressions of bewilderment, humiliation and dejection on the faces of the more than 50 animals squeezed under cover outside of Russo’s to avoid the rain, the event might have been been titled “stupid human tricks played on pets for fun and a good cause.”

A number of the entries, like Rivard’s, were spontaneous.

Carole Small, a Redondo Beach engineer, heard about the contest and bought a large stuffed caterpillar--which she unstuffed of stuffing and then restuffed with newspaper--and her Shih Tzu named Butch, for an entry called Dog and Caterpillar. She didn’t win either.

Sam Tricoli of Yorba Linda put a bit more forethought into dressing Lucy, his English bull terrier, as a clown. The Spuds McKenzie look-alike had a tailored costume and makeup, which helped the pair take second place in the humorous category.

The grand prize of $300 in aquarium supplies was won by Cara Williams, of Santa Ana, who entered the Pet and Owner category with her rabbit, Easter, both dressed as cheerleaders.