Would you dress-up your dog?

Rikki's favorite sleeping space, notice that she's cuddling a stuff toy?

The girls have been begging me to please, please buy Rikki a pair of shoes.

They saw dogs with shoes walking around when we were in Manila; and they were really fascinated.

I told them that dogs needed their paws without any hindrances so that they could freely walk, climb, run and do whatever normal dogs do with their paws. If Rikki would be using shoes everytime we go out of the house, then the pup would not survive being outdoors on her naked paws.

I always tell my girls -- that although Rikki is a part of the family, she is still a dog and not a human being.

Lately because of Halloween, the girls are changing their tune. They are now begging me to buy clothes for Rikki. They want a Halloween costume for our pup.

Last night, I gave up. I told them Rikki could dress-up for Halloween. The girls exploded with cheers. But... I informed them that only a short cape or a shirt. No frills, no glitters, no hair accessories, no make-ups, no bling-blings.

They would not settle for a boring cape or a shirt, but when I told them that we would be sewing the costume together? They exploded again with cheer!

I once read about someone giving an advice to dog lovers who wish to deck out their pooches -- “The pet should be treated like a toddler. Therefore, no sharp objects, no toxic elements, nothing that may irritate the skin, no fragments that pose choking danger. Also, when your pet is wearing and strutting his/her stuff, the guardian must be vigilant at all times.”

So I guess, yes, we would dress-up our dog. But only this Halloween.