To begin with, I should say that I've been an avid Nerf fanatic since I gripped my first of many pink and black Turbo Juniors back in ?84. Did you know that Nerf is actually an acronym for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam? Well, I know that, and now you know it as well, along with my level of Nerf geekdom. I can't explain it, but holding that football gives me an unbelievable feeling of masculine power. With one flex of my arm muscles, I can pinch that sucker down into nothing more than a helpless wad. Then, I just ease off my death grip, and it pops right back into place. Good as new. I guess you could say that I feel like Nero at the Coliseum or an instrument of God when I'm choking the life out of my Nerf toys and then sparing them at that last minute. All balls must respect my grip.
The only thing I enjoy more than smothering a Nerf is accessorizing my F-150. I've already got a paint-matched Gaylord's tonneau cover, a 4? Fabtech lift with 36? BF Goodrich rubbers, and every piece of Putco chrome I could get my hands on. My next move was to add some step bars so my mother wouldn't have to agitate her sciatica climbing into the cab. When I started looking around, I was pleasantly puzzled to see that these steps were being called nerf bars. Sure, there are no similarities between my neon toys and those stainless steel and powder-coated nerf bars, but I knew I had to get a set.
After doing my research, I found that a lot of people were raving about Westin nerf bars and Nasta nerf bars. It almost came down to a coin toss, but my inner dawg told me to go with Nasta. My online order arrived about a week later, and it only took about an hour to bolt those bad boys into place. To show off my latest upgrade, I rounded up my Mom and Uncles and cruised down to the park on the next sunny Saturday afternoon. Man, I have to say that those nerf bars were glistening like a couple of sterling straws from a heavenly malt shop. Feeling like a million bucks, I decided to toss the ol? foam around, which turned out to be a terrible idea.
Now, there were a couple of cuties in cutoffs hanging around, so I decided to let loose with my Nerfing skills. I told my Uncle Devon that I was going long, and I tore off down the field. Unfortunately, Devon was a second-string QB at his community college, so he released a Hail Mary that was big enough to absolve even Cain. I had to turn on the afterburners to get under it, and then it took a last-second dive to catch that sucker. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I had high-stepped it into the parking lot. So when I came down with my Nerf ball, my head clipped the side of my new Nasta nerf bar. I can't remember a whole lot about that day, except waking up on a gurney and seeing those two cuties in cutoffs staring at me from the back of the crowd of gawkers that had gathered around the ambulance. The rest is all an achy haze.
I lost a lot of blood from the silver dollar-sized flap of skin that scraped off my scalp, and it took a few days before I stopped seeing double. But I'm happy to say that the only damage to my nerf bar was a bit of gore, which hosed right off.
Many dog clubs and animal organizations sponsor activities throughout the year where you and your pooch can bond. This is especially true at Halloween, when you and your dog will have an opportunity to take part in costume contests, parades, and other events to show off your creativity. Our local Humane Society, for example, has a "Howling Party," while our dog club has its annual "Fun Fair." Other organizations put on dog parades. The best part about all of these events is that you are able to show your dog off in costume!
Even if you are staying home this year and waiting on trick or treaters to come by, consider having your costumed dog go with you to the door. Or, if you have trained him to open the door to greet guests ? even better! If this is the case, your dog should also be trained not to jump on guests when they arrive. A well-costumed dog greeter might have neighborhood children running away before they get their candy should he jump upon them.
Before I became a dog owner, I thought it was silly, unfair, and perhaps a bit inhumane to dress dogs up for Halloween. Since those days, I have become a dog owner and now realize dogs love to participate in all activities (except a trip to the veterinarian). Participating together in Halloween festivities with your favorite furry friend is another opportunity for you to cherish your time together.
WORDS OF WISDOM ABOUT DOG COSTUMES:
Over the years, I have learned a few lessons about dressing dogs up for Halloween. Every year when Halloween approached, I would work feverishly trying to create the perfect dog costume. Spending hours sewing together parts of old-fashioned mops, I attempted to make my terrier into an instant Komondor (a.k.a. Hungarian Sheepdog). For a day, I wanted him to feel like one of those amazing dogs with a Rasta-style hairdo. When people spotted him, they would exclaim, "Hey it's a dog in a dog costume!" But, I really thought, It's a dog in a people costume!
As I walked proudly down the street with him in his Komondor costume, he decided to shake until his costume des mops dragged along between us. From a distance, I thought he might get by looking like a street cleaner. But to my despair, he didn't. As crowds watched, he simply looked like a dog dragging a huge mop down the street ? how embarrassing!
This is when I learned the first two essential rules for dog costumes:
1) Keep the costume light.
2) Keep the costume simple.
The next year, I had a puppy to dress up. Constructing an adorable lightweight costume was my only goal. Since the puppy loved carrying objects in her mouth, I covered a stick in leather for her to bite and carry. Then, I attempted to put a pair of panties on her. She frantically yelped, bounced, and wiggled them off, and consequently refused to let me near her with the undergarments in hand.
This is when I learned the third essential rule of dog costumes:
3) Always give your dog a trial run before assuming she will wear any costume you muster. Or, better yet, have your dog wear the costume around the house before Halloween so that she will get used to it. Don't learn the hard way.
The following year, I made plans to take my older dog to the Halloween dog parade again. Since I had learned from experience, I chose to fashion a costume that was simple, easy to make, and lightweight. My dog was going to be "a walking billboard!" I glued two rectangular pieces of foam core together with material in the center and was going to lay it over the top of my dog. This time, however, I was determined to be smart about it by letting him get used to it beforehand ? following my own third rule.
It worked out great as he paced around the house and the billboard costume got some great laughs from friends and family members. I was happy that things would turn out better than the two years previous. As the parade began, we marched along together and he suddenly did the unexpected, as if he were planning it all along. He crouched down and the billboard became a non-flexible tent. He was able to walk right out of it, which got additional laughs from the crowd, but meant an immediate disqualification from the contest.
This is when I learned the fourth essential rule of dog costumes:
4) Expect the unexpected, even when you think you've thought of everything!
The following year, I tied a large helium balloon around the dog's mid-section and put a small lightweight blanket over him. The blanket had a little box sitting on it with two tiny stuffed animals. I had ribbons around the bottom of the balloon that I attached to the box. The costume was adorable, or so I believed. It was a balloon-ride costume. The bobbing balloon must have been more exciting to the other dogs because as soon as the other dogs got sight of him, they started pulling away from their owners in hot pursuit of the shiny red balloon. Fortunately, I had a pair of scissors and cut the string. Up, up, up it went. Bailey and I were free, but so was our balloon. And once again, we were disqualified from the parade, as had become a tradition.
This is when I learned the fifth and sixth essential rules of dog costumes:
5) Be prepared. Before you go to any gathering, think about what you should bring along In case something needs a quick fixing or if something goes wrong.
6) Bring your camera and have plenty of film. I wished I had gotten a picture of my dog in his balloon costume before I snipped the string. Check your camera batteries too. And, have a friend take some photos of you and your dog together ? you'll enjoy them later.
Last year, however, I took the easy way out. I purchased a Superman costume from a costume shop. Most costume shops now carry such paraphernalia. The costume was lightweight, which was a plus. I decided I would just use the cape and keep the other parts of the costume as back up. So, once again, we were off to our annual dog club "Fun Fair," and one of the featured activities was a Halloween dog parade with an award for "Best Costume".
My dog was dressed upon arrival. I tied the cape under his chin and that was it. Kids shouted, "It's Super Dog!" Adults responded by shouting "Not original!" Someone walked up to me and asked, "What happened? We expected you, at least, to be original." Feeling guilty, I sat there not taking home any awards. But, it was the first time my "Super Dog" participated in his very first Halloween parade. To me, he looked great and I was so proud of him. Then towards the end of the night, we were called over, along with several other "Super Dogs" with the same attire, for a photo shoot.
Both Steven Duvall & Melanie Light are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Steven Duvall has sinced written about articles on various topics from Car Cover, Trucks and Portrait Painting. My vehicle choices for have now been narrowed down to the. Steven Duvall's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
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