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Thanksgiving Outfits for Small Dogs: Boo’s Table Manners

Boo’s Thanksgiving tradition, as far as the photo archive shows, was the nap. No costume, no bib, just a small orange dog asleep on a cushion while the humans dealt with the dishes. That is the right spirit for this page: Thanksgiving outfits for small dogs should last exactly as long as the photo, and the comfort should last all day.

So this is a short list, ranked by the standard Boo set on the Halloween page: maximum cute, zero misery, off before the pie. If you have not read the honest answer on whether dogs like clothes at all, read it first, because a houseful of guests is the worst possible day to find out yours does not.

Eight Thanksgiving outfits, ranked by Boo logic

1. The turkey. The photo everyone actually wants. The good versions are a vest with a tail fan sewn on the back, which means the dog’s legs, face, and ears are free and the costume reads from across the room. Eight hundred-plus reviews say the sizing runs small, so measure and go up one. The T2Y turkey costume is the vest kind.

2. The pumpkin dress. For the dog that hates anything over its head. A stretchy dress with a pumpkin-and-flower print slips on like a tee, and the Fitwarm one is the most-reviewed small-dog item on this page by a wide margin, which for a garment mostly means the sizing chart is trustworthy. The Fitwarm pumpkin flower dress.

3. The knitted sweater, two of them. The sweater is the only Thanksgiving outfit that earns its keep after the photo: a late-November walk in a knit is a warm walk. A two-pack in fall colors means one can be in the wash after the gravy incident. The GOYOSWA knitted Thanksgiving sweater two-pack.

4. The pilgrim. A collar-and-hat rig that sits over the shoulders, the least fabric for the most costume. Dogs that freeze in full suits usually walk fine in these, because nothing wraps the chest. The adjustable pilgrim tuxedo with hat.

5. The pilgrim-turkey headband. For the dog that will tolerate exactly one photo. It goes on, you shoot, it comes off, and the dog has forgotten it by the time the turkey is carved. Midlee’s small pilgrim-turkey headband.

6. The knit hat and scarf. A photo prop you can remove in one second, and the scarf is genuinely useful on a cold doorstep while guests arrive. Mihachi’s turkey hat and scarf set.

7. The drumstick hat. Pure comedy. It is a felt drumstick on an elastic chin strap, it photographs better than it has any right to, and it is off before the dog notices. The drumstick hat for small dogs.

8. The fall bandana, in bulk. Honest note: these come in bags of fifty, which only makes sense if you are hosting a houseful of dogs or donating the rest to a shelter. One bandana per guest’s dog is a party trick that costs almost nothing per dog. The fifty-pack of fall bandanas.

The turkey rule

One rule, learned from a decade of Boo’s costume photos: the costume comes off before the food comes out. Thanksgiving is the one day a year the kitchen floor is a hazard course of dropped stuffing and unattended plates, and a dog in a tail fan cannot get out of its own way. Dress for the photo, undress for the meal, and keep the dog out of the kitchen while the turkey rests.

Fit, and the bandana fallback

Measure first and use the brand’s chart; the winter clothes page has the measuring guide, and most of these costumes run small, so go up a size. Nothing over the face. Supervise the first wear. If the dog turns to stone when the outfit goes on, drop to the bandana or the headband and get the photo anyway.

Boo’s year-round wardrobe is in Boo’s Closet, his costume archive is in the photo gallery, and the next holiday is covered on the Christmas page, where the outfits are allowed to stay on a little longer.

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