A parade of dogs and cats dressed as anything from superheroes to lobsters to bats walked c past. The crowd applauded each one delightedly at MU’s annual Howl-O-Ween event held by the Campus Activities Programming Board in Kuhlmann Court on Oct. 26.
Along with a parade of pets, Howl-O-Ween included a photo booth and refreshments as well as a costume contest with prizes for the winners.
Kathleen Matz, senior and member of the Student Union Programming Board and Howl-O-Ween organizer said her favorite part of the evening was bringing people together over their pets.
“My favorite part so far has just been seeing everyone interact with everyone [else], like everyone has just become friends over their dogs,” Matz said. “[It’s] so super cute.”
Though they did not bring pets of their own, freshmen Jade Dickinson and Camille Smola enjoyed the opportunity to see so many costumed animals.
“Just in general, [we like] looking at animals,” Dickinson said. “We just love dogs and the costumes are really cute.”
After the parade, the winners were announced. “Cutest Costume” went to a dachshund dressed as Batman, “Most Creative” to a greyhound in colored cardboard to make him “fifty shades of gray” and “Best Costume” to a dog in a homemade Peter Pan outfit. Though junior Allison Hofer and her pets did not win, she said they all still had a great time.
“This event was a great mix of my two favorite things: Halloween and dogs,” Hofer said. “I loved seeing all the dogs dressed up and dressing up my own dogs, and my dogs loved the attention.”
Matz said what really sets this event apart for her is the fact that it is one of the few programs that allow students to participate with their pets, making it especially fun.
“Animals are a big part of everyone’s lives, yet we usually don’t have things on campus where they get to do something like that,” Matz said. “So I think it’s fun for everyone to come and bond over their animals.”
Howl-O-Ween has been an annual event on campus for the past six years, and the Campus Activity Programming Board foresees it continuing for years to come.
_Edited by Alexandra Sharp | asharp@themaneater.com_