A dog dressed as Zoltar the fortune teller takes part in the annual parade (Picture: Reuters)

Sniffing out the crème de la crème in this fancy dress competition would have been tough, with New Yorkers going all out with amazing Halloween costumes for their pet pooches.

Dog lovers dressed their beloved hounds in an array of spectacular outfits for the 23rd Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade yesterday.

Costume contests and best-in-show prizes were organised alongside free dog treats and information on adoption from a local rescue centre.

Dogs and a baby dressed as characters from Star Wars at the biggest dog parade in the US (Picture: AFP/Getty)

All proceeds – from the event located in Lower Manhattan – were given to the Tompkins Square Dog Run.


Pretty as a picture (Picture: AFP/Getty)

It was revealed earlier this month that pet owners in the US are expected to spend $330million on costumes for their animals.

Contestants dressed as characters from the movie ‘King Kong’ (Picture: AFP/Getty)

The survey by the National Retail Federation also found that the top five pet costumes are: pumpkin; hot dog; cat/devil joint place; witch; and at fifth, superman.

Dog owners in the US are expected to spend $330million on outfits for their pets this year (Picture: Reuters)