There comes a point every October when dogs must wonder why humans insist on making Halloween so complicated.
We spend weeks choosing pumpkins, untangling lights, decorating the house, planning costumes, buying treats and deciding what terrifying movie we’re going to watch—while our dogs observe the entire production from the sofa.
But what would happen if we simply handed Halloween over to them?
Probably something like this.
From an ambitious trip to the pumpkin patch to a Halloween party that gets slightly out of control, these photographs imagine an October 31st planned, decorated and thoroughly enjoyed by dogs.
There are costumes. There are pumpkins. There are questionable decorating decisions.
And by morning, there are some very tired dogs.
The Pumpkin Patch
Every successful Halloween begins with finding the perfect pumpkin.
A group of dogs makes its way through a beautiful autumn pumpkin farm with a little wooden wagon in tow. Smaller pumpkins have already been carefully loaded inside, suggesting that somebody in the group came prepared with a sensible plan.
Then the biggest dog finds his pumpkin.
It is enormous.
He stands proudly beside it while the others appear to be considering the obvious logistical problem: the pumpkin is nearly as large as the wagon.
Nobody is willing to tell him to choose another one.
Golden fields, brilliant orange pumpkins and trees turning red in the distance make the setting almost impossibly beautiful. If Halloween is going to be run by dogs, apparently they’re starting with excellent taste.
Getting the pumpkin home may be another matter.
Carving the Pumpkin
The pumpkins have made it home.
The plan has not survived quite as successfully.
Two dogs have taken over a warm, beautiful kitchen where several pumpkins cover a large wooden table. One sits with intense concentration in front of a partially carved jack-o’-lantern while the other has pushed his face suspiciously close to the open top of another pumpkin.
Seeds are everywhere.
Pumpkin pulp covers the table. A carving pattern has somehow ended up on the floor. Tools are scattered among bowls and towels that suggest someone initially believed this would be an organized activity.
It was not.
Still, one surprisingly respectable jack-o’-lantern has emerged from the chaos.
Nobody needs to know how long it took.
Decorating the House
With the pumpkins finished, attention turns to the front porch.
This proves considerably more complicated.
One dog has become completely tangled in a strand of orange lights and now stands in the middle of the porch looking as though he has accepted his fate. Another watches carefully from beside a ladder, apparently supervising rather than helping.
Meanwhile, a third dog is leaving the scene carrying a plastic skeleton arm in his mouth.
Where he is taking it is unclear.
The entrance itself is becoming spectacular: pumpkins climbing the steps, autumn branches surrounding the doorway, lanterns glowing among fallen leaves and just enough Halloween drama to make the neighbours pay attention.
The decorating committee may be dysfunctional.
The results are surprisingly good.
Getting Ready
As evening approaches, Halloween suddenly becomes serious.
Inside a beautiful bedroom, costumes, brushes, fabric and accessories cover the vanity and nearby furniture. One dog sits patiently in front of the mirror while another appears intensely focused on the final details of his friend’s Halloween transformation.
Nothing about their expressions suggests this is funny.
This is important work.
A cape waits nearby. Another costume hangs from the wardrobe. Face-paint colours and brushes have been arranged across the vanity with the kind of precision normally reserved for backstage at a fashion show.
After spending all afternoon decorating, nobody is going trick-or-treating in an average costume.
There are standards.
The Costume Emergency
There are also problems.
Minutes before departure, one dog stands anxiously in front of a full-length mirror while another attempts to straighten a cape that simply refuses to cooperate.
The bedroom now looks considerably less organized.
Costume pieces cover the bed. An abandoned hat rests on the floor. Fabric, brushes and accessories have migrated to almost every available surface.
The dog in front of the mirror looks deeply concerned.
His assistant looks even more concerned.
Every great Halloween costume apparently goes through one moment when its creator considers abandoning the entire idea.
Fortunately, the cape eventually cooperates.
Mostly.
Trick or Treat
Then comes the moment they have been preparing for all day.
Two beautifully costumed dogs arrive at a neighbour’s house beneath glowing porch lanterns and elaborate Halloween decorations.
Small treat buckets wait beside them.
One dog rises just enough to reach a paw toward the doorbell.
The door opens.
The homeowners stare down at their unexpected visitors with the unmistakable expression of people trying to determine whether they are actually seeing what they think they are seeing.
The dogs, meanwhile, look completely confident.
They dressed up.
They brought buckets.
They rang the bell.
The next step seems obvious.
The Candy Inspection
Back home, the evening’s haul requires careful examination.
Three dogs gather around the kitchen table with their treat buckets emptied between them. Wrapped candies, little toys and Halloween treasures cover the surface while the dogs study everything with the seriousness of professional negotiators.
Nobody is eating anything.
That part matters.
Chocolate, candies containing xylitol and many other human Halloween treats can be dangerous for dogs, so the human candy remains firmly off the canine menu.
Fortunately, someone had the foresight to include a few dog-safe treats in the evening’s collection.
Those receive considerably more interest.
The rest appears to be undergoing an extremely complicated trading process.
Negotiations are tense.
The Halloween Party
With trick-or-treating complete, the sophisticated portion of the evening begins.
At least that appears to have been the intention.
The house looks extraordinary. Pumpkins glow beneath dramatic lighting, autumn arrangements fill the room and a beautifully set table offers an assortment of dog-safe Halloween treats.
One dog has taken control of the music.
Another is still wearing an elaborate costume that looked considerably more dignified several hours earlier.
Across the room, the remaining guests have apparently decided that the carefully planned elegance of the evening is no longer particularly important.
The party has officially escaped its organizers.
Judging by the expressions around the room, nobody is especially concerned.
The Horror Movie
Eventually even the best Halloween party needs to slow down.
Several dogs pile onto a large, beautiful sofa for a late-night horror movie surrounded by the remnants of the evening’s festivities.
Their reactions could not be more different.
One watches the television with enormous eyes, completely absorbed by whatever is happening on screen.
Another has disappeared halfway beneath a blanket but continues peeking toward the television despite clearly regretting the decision.
And the dog who spent the entire evening pretending to be the bravest member of the group?
Sound asleep.
Apparently horror movies are considerably less frightening after a full day of pumpkin picking, decorating, costumes, trick-or-treating and partying.
The Morning After
Morning reveals what Halloween looks like when dogs are left completely in charge.
Soft sunlight pours into the living room.
A cape hangs over the arm of the sofa. An overturned treat bucket rests nearby. Pumpkins, blankets and pieces of costume remain scattered around a room that looked considerably more sophisticated the night before.
Nobody has cleaned anything.
Three exhausted dogs are asleep wherever they finally gave up.
One has claimed the sofa.
Another is stretched across the rug.
The third is still partially wrapped in the blanket from the horror movie, completely unaware that morning has arrived.
For one night, the dogs picked the pumpkins, carved the jack-o’-lanterns, decorated the house, planned their costumes, went trick-or-treating and threw their own Halloween party.
Was everything done perfectly?
Absolutely not.
Would the house require some attention in the morning?
Definitely.
But judging by the three dogs sleeping through the aftermath, they may have just had the greatest Halloween night of their lives.
And perhaps next October, the humans should simply stay out of the way.
