It’s The Best Of The 2012 Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade Contest

The hardest part of owning a dog isn’t training it and remembering to do all the small things like feeding, walking and bathing it, nor is it teaching it how to run up to big breasted women with a rose in its mouth and a tiny little envelope with a hotel room key attached to its collar. No, the most difficult thing about being a dog owner is determining when it is acceptable to dress a pet in costumes, and the answer is two-fold: 1) On any holidays or sports game days for photos only and 2) Halloween. Those aren’t my rules, just Vatican law.

And people in New York City agree with those rules, as they gathered this past Saturday for the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade and costume contest to determine which of the pooches in attendance wagged it best. The winner? Gracie, the puggish sort of thing in the banner pic.

The weather cleared up just in time for Saturday's annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. A tradition 22 years strong, this year's costumes did not fall short with creative looks like Fifty Shades of Grey, Mutt Romney and this adorable Corgi Fire Truck. And while all the hundreds of outfitted pooches were winners in our book, Evita placed first with her ornate outfit. (Via Petside)

But when it comes to Halloween dog contests, there can’t really ever be just one winner, unless it’s a bulldog dressed as the devil. Unfortunately, there were no bulldogs dressed as devils at this year’s Tompkins Square parade, just a ton of other dogs in great costumes. After the jump, check out some of our favorites, and there are plenty more over at Petside and the HuffPo.

(Images via Petside)