PUTTING ON THE DOG MORE PETS IN HALLOWEEN OUTFITS.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

Halloween is going to the dogs this year, literally, as dolling up pet pooches in costumes ranging from the cute to the absurd has become all the rage.

Frank Cardoza plans to gussy up his miniature schnauzer in a cowboy outfit - even if Stogey isn't thrilled about it.

``He's spoiled - he doesn't even like collars,'' Cardoza said.

Sales of pet costumes have grown every year since PetSmart first began offering them a decade ago, said spokeswoman Amy Moynihan. Target's stock of pet costumes was nearly wiped out by September last year, so the store is taking extra steps to ensure there are enough outfits this season, said Brie Heath, a Target spokeswoman. And catching up with the trend, Wal-Mart is selling pet costumes for the first time, said company spokeswoman Christi Gallagher.

``If you walk into some stores, the aisle for Halloween costumes for pets is just as big as the ones for kids,'' said Bob Vetere, managing director of the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association.

Just a decade ago, Vetere said, pet products was a bare-bones industry made up of the basics - food, litter, cages and collars.

Now Petco's Web site has a bulldog modeling tuxedos and hula skirts for Halloween. The store even holds a Halloween costume contest every year, awarding gift certificates for the best-dressed pets.

The pet industry in general has ballooned to $34.3 billion this year, more than double what it was a decade ago, according to APPMA. Popular costumes at PetSmart include a zip-up hot dog outfit and a bumblebee ensemble. The store even has a line of fall vintage clothing.

At Wal-Mart, animals can be dressed as everyone from Snow White to Zorro.

And it's not just costumes that are for sale. An array of treats, including jack-o'-lantern plush toys, glow-in-the-dark balls, and glow-in-the-dark collars and ID tags are flooding the market as well.

Woodland Hills resident Marty Wasserman is thinking about dressing up her naughty Yorkshire terrier as the devil for a canine Halloween party. There are so many dog parties, Wasserman said, she's not sure which ones to attend.

If she still had young children, Wasserman said, she doubts she'd lavish as much attention as she does on her Yorkies now.

``Now that the kids have gone off to college, the house is quiet and empty and college is paid off,'' Vetere said. Many young married couples are also opting to get pets before starting families, he said. And with two incomes pouring in, Vetere said, pets are being lavished with an array of products.

Dressing up Fido, Moynihan said, is also being made popular by movies such as ``Legally Blonde,'' in which Reese Witherspoon's character and her Chihuahua are often dressed in identical couture outfits. Paris Hilton's famous pooch, Tinkerbell, has been spotted in pink leg warmers.

Not surprisingly, Moynihan said, pet costumes and clothes sell particularly well in Southern California, where pets are an integral part of people's lives.

In fact, 21 percent of those celebrating Halloween plan to dress their pets in costume, according to Shopping in America.

Halloween spending is expected to reach $3.12 billion this year, up from $2.96 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Halloween remains the sixth-largest spending holiday after the winter holidays ($219.9 billion), Valentine's Day ($12.8 billion), Easter ($10.5 billion), Mother's Day ($10.4 billion) and Father's Day ($8 billion).

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) no caption (dog wearing pumpkin costume)

(2) Following the latest canine holiday fashion, Aphrodite, a 5-month-old Rottweiler, is dressed as a devilish dog at the Woodland Hills PetSmart earlier this week.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer