Diane Jungbauer didn’t intend to start an annual Halloween party for dogs and their owners in downtown St. Paul. She just wanted to dress her rescue dog, Rutabaga, in a cute costume.

“It started when Diane wanted to get Ru a costume and I said, ‘Well why do we need to get Ru a costume? We don’t have trick-or-treaters. There’s no reason to have a costume.’ And she said, ‘Oh yeah?’ And so she started the whole event just for a reason to get Rutabaga a costume,” said Peter Hansmeier, Jungbauer’s husband.

As it turns out, other local dog owners were happy to get in on the Halloween action. This year, the Annual Dog Halloween Paw-rty is celebrating its third year at the Lowertown Dog Park in downtown St. Paul.

The event has become a success, with buzz starting in the St. Paul dog owner community in August, Jungbauer said.

Around 50 to 75 dogs came out for the first Paw-rty. Last year, that number grew to between 75 and 100 pups.

“Putting your dog in a Halloween costume is one of the main reasons people get dogs, isn’t it?” Jungbauer said. “So that they can snuggle with you on the bed and they can be happy to see you and so you can dress them up for Halloween.”

And dog owners definitely are creative. In years past, dogs have arrived dressed as Ghostbusters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even ballerinas. Owners get inventive with their own costumes, too. One year, a pair of owners came dressed as the Queen of England and a guard with their Corgi in tow.

As the founders of the event, Jungbauer and Hansmeier always bring imagination to Rutabaga’s Halloween looks. The first year they dressed her as a bumblebee, and last year Rutabaga was the Cat in the Hat with Jungbauer and Hansmeier dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2, respectively.

They are still debating on a costume for Sunday’s Paw-rty but have two strong contenders. The first? “Ru Bader Ginsburg,” said Jungbauer.

“I actually ordered. … They have — oddly enough — they have graduation gowns for toddlers. I don’t know why, but it was on Amazon for like $11. I was like, ‘Done!’ And then I’ll just staple it,” she said.

Their other option is a take on the quintessentially Minnesotan game, “Duck, Duck, Gray Duck.”

“Peter and I are just each going to wear a shirt with a duck face on it,” Jungbauer said. “And then Rutabaga’s going to have a little duck costume.”

The event is free, but donations are encouraged to a local dog rescue, Spot’s Last Stop Canine Rescue, where Jungbauer and Hansmeier adopted Rutabaga.

Owners who bring dogs in costumes and people who donate food, treats or dog toys are eligible for a free raffle ticket for prizes.

“One thing I do love is about halfway through, you look around and there are just random, little parts of dog costumes. Last year somebody had their dog come as a spider and by the end of it, all eight legs were throughout the park,” Jungbauer said. “If your dog is pretty easygoing, boy, it’s just so funny. And they don’t care about the costumes … they just want to play.”

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