October 23, 2009

A dog appears on stage as the "Dancing Naked Cowboy" during the Times Square Dog Day in Manhattan. (Zootoo Pet News File Photo)

What Will Your Pet Wear for Halloween? A new survey says pet owners will spend less on their own costumes this year than last Halloween, which means dogs and cats might have to groom a little more to look extra adorable next week.

NEW YORK -- Almost 30 percent of consumers this season say the state of the U.S. economy will impact their Halloween spending plans.

Approximately 17 percent say they will be making costumes instead of purchasing them, with 16 percent reusing last year’s costumes, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

“The economy has caught up to Halloween this year,” said Tracy Mullin, president and chief executive officer of the National Retail Federation.

“Since retailers know that Americans will be looking to celebrate on a budget, there’s no doubt we will see creative costume and decorating ideas in every price point imaginable,” she said.

Consumers plan to spend an average of $20.75 on human’s and pets’ costumes combined -- more than $3 less than they did last year, when they spent an average of $24.17, according to the survey.

One way pet owners are cutting corners is through understatement. The bow-tie or dress-up collar has shot up to third this year from seventh last year.

At PetSmart, the Top Paw Halloween Bow Tie, Jingle Holiday Neckware, and Scrunchy Spider Halloween Collar retails for about $7 and is now being offered at half price. And at Petco, the Pumpkin Collar Charm for Dogs, which lights up, retails for about $5.

Still, the number one and number two pet costumes this year remain the same as last year: a pumpkin and a devil, respectively, according to the survey.

The hot dog -- fifth last year -- has slipped completely off the list. A ghost, eighth last Halloween, has disappeared as well.

The princess has tumbled from fourth to sixth, while the bee took a dive into last place from its previous sixth place. Moving up on position this fall season is the third place witch.

The “The overriding theme for Americans’ Halloween celebrations this year will be, ‘How creative can I be, and how little can I spend’ ” said Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategic initiatives at BIGresearch.

NRF survey was conducted by BIGresearch, which polled about 8,500 consumers in early September. The margin of error is one percent. BIGresearch's executive vice president for strategic initiatives.

With Halloween mayhem still up for grabs, Zootoo Pet News wants to know how your pet plans to dress up. Let your pet take the Zootoo Pet News poll above to share her or his opinion.

Tell us what you think about "What Will Your Pet Wear for Halloween?" below and if you have an idea for a Zootoo Pet News poll, e-mail news@zootoo.com.