Our little furry friends dragged their owners over to Tompkins Square Park this past Saturday for the 23rd annual Dog Halloween Costume Parade. Hundreds of dogs dressed up for their owners in the hope of winning top dog..umm prize. NYers have a reputation for being the most creative and inventive people in the country and they surely did not disappoint. If this was a prelude to the biggest Halloween party in the country this Thursday, then the Halloween Parade in the Village will be one of the best ever. The set up for this parade was in the dog run in the park with judges on one side and two hosts introducing all the contestants and their owners with a runway to show off their costumes. Since there were hundreds of entries, the showing was broken up into three parts and then the grand finale with the best in show prize. Probably the best part of the parade was seeing an entire family get dressed up to anyone of a number of themes. One that robbed the hearts of many was the Star Wars entry with two pugs as Yoda and Darth Vader while the cutest baby was Princess Leia. Then there was a family dressed as the cast from The Sandlot with a mastiff that looked like he ate a few dogs for lunch. Probably one of the biggest surprises was the Dreams Do Come True entry when there was a marriage proposal just as they were being introduced. She accepted. But the entry that directly followed them was the amazing Lobster Bake with two chihuahuas dressed as a chef and a lobster complete with kitchen and bubbles. It won the award for the best in show in what was a record attendance for the event. They really went over the top on this one and deserved it. As far as parades go, it was a fun family event that you should experience once in your lifetime.