Pooches at the sixth annual HOWL-o-ween Dog Costume Contest know what it takes to earn a Halloween treat: a killer costume and occasionally a few tricks.
Owners fixed up their dogs with wigs, sunglasses and even makeup for the contest, hosted by the UF Pre-Veterinary Medicine Club.
About 50 people gathered Saturday afternoon at UF's Equine Auditorium to watch about 15 pups strut their scariest, cutest and funniest stuff across stage.
Dogs and their owners could compete in six different competitions, including cutest, scariest, and owner and dog look-alike.
Lauren Gray, the club's president, said her pit bull mix named Sasha won a prize last year for portraying UF quarterback Tim Tebow in a category that required dogs to dress up as a different animal.
"Tim Tebow is an animal," Gray joked.
This year, she decided to see what costumes other people came up with.
Other costumes included a goblin, worn by Charlie Brown the Chihuahua, and Elmo, sported by DBo the Doberman.
This year, the "best in show" award went to Rocco, a 17-month-old Argentine Dogo who dressed as the Joker from "The Dark Knight." Rocco wore a green wig, a disturbing smile and black makeup around his eyes to pull off the look.
After paying for decorations, the club made about $50 from entry fees, Gray said. Twenty-five percent of the revenue went to the Alachua County Humane Society.
Gray said they hoped to encourage people to adopt animals from shelters rather than buying them from breeders.
"If people are going to get a pet, it's better for them to adopt," she said.
Jessica Ashley, an animal sciences junior, brought her own chow mix, Chewy, and a cattle dog mix she fostered, Cassidy, to compete in the costume contest. The two pups, dressed as a farmer and a cow, took first place in the "most creative" category.
Ashley fostered Cassidy from Gainesville Pet Rescue about a month ago. Cassidy broke his pelvis after he was hit by a car near Hilltop Animal Hospital, the Alachua veterinary clinic where Ashley worked.
"It's something I felt like I could do," she said. "And he's been with me ever since."
Sweet Pea, an 18-month-old American Staffordshire terrier mix, was taken to Gainesville's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after she was abandoned by her owners and left in an old, run-down building.
Heather Campbell, a UF animal science senior, decided to rescue her a year ago.
If she had not been adopted, Sweet Pea would not have been able to live, much less compete in the "cutest costume" contest as a hot dog, Campbell said.
"There's so many animals that are put down every day," she said. "People just need to step up."
