I Dressed Up My Rescue Dogs As The Cast Of Tiger King For Halloween

I always dress up my rescue dogs, Oliver and Junebug for Halloween. This year, I wanted to make it extra special because we are entering a costume contest/fundraiser with Triangle Barkitecture that benefits the organization I adopted from and volunteer, with, Hope Animal Rescue. I knew I needed to make the costume culturally relevant and something people would find entertaining, funny, and cute. And if that wasn't enough of a challenge, I decided to incorporate my foster dog, Cinnabon, as well!

When trying to think of the highlights of 2020, and something I could incorporate into a fun costume, Tiger King was the obvious choice. The characters fit my dogs' personalities perfectly. Oliver is the charismatic, melodramatic attention-seeker, Joe Exotic. Junebug is the bat-sh*t crazy beauty that may or may not kill you, Carole Baskin. Cinnabon is the innocent, cute, and majestic creature, the tiger.

Each costume was comprised of mostly dog clothing I already had at home, a few items purchased from independent Etsy shops, and some hand-made pieces made from things bought at the dollar store (the wigs, flower crown, and earring). The biggest challenge was getting all three dogs to sit and look at the camera for a photo. The trick? Lots and lots of treats and a dslr. The treats help to get the dogs' attention and are crucial to Junebug/Carole's signature look. People assume she must hate having her photo taken, but really this is just how she looks when she's chomping on treats!

More info: Instagram