PHOTOS: There's no better Halloween treat than a dog costume contest

NEW YORK (TND) — Midway through Saturday’s Great PUPkin Dog Costume Contest in Fort Greene Park, the competition really felt like the panda’s to lose.

Other than the panda, audience reaction had been difficult to gauge, thanks to a crowd that certainly did not discriminate when it came to doling out applause. An unspoken agreement among attendees had people clapping just as loudly for dogs that shook off their wigs or refused to leave the stage as they did for their bona fide favorites.

But when the panda stood up on two back feet, spectators, too, jumped up to cheer on the animal that almost looked too bear-like to fairly compete in a dog costume contest. The effect had been done before, popularized on social media by a Samoyed named Enzo with over a million TikTok followers, but it was executed to perfection at Saturday’s show. The dog’s endearing personality went a long way in further rallying support.

Other dogs at the annual contest hosted by Fort Greene PUPS got big reactions: a “Bark”-enstock, a kaleidoscopic Tom Fruin sculpture, a group effort of gnomes and fairies in an elaborate enchanted garden, a too-relatable cockroach that escaped from an apartment building on stage, a McDonald’s meal (the dog) delivered on Citi Bike (the owner, dressed not as a delivery person but as the literal bike), a pug dressed like the Times Square Ball that inspired a premature countdown to 2024, and so on. Still, none came close to the panda’s standing ovation.

That is, not until the very last hopeful pup — an impossibly tiny chihuahua clad in the oversized gray suit that Talking Heads frontman David Byrne wore in the rock band’s 1984 concert film “Stop Making Sense.”

Judging a dog costume contest sounds fun on paper, up through that fateful moment when a pool of nearly 100 deserving contestants must suddenly be whittled down to the top 10. A strong sense of decisiveness is pivotal to the job.

A deep knowledge of pop culture also comes in handy, in order to most accurately access the steady stream of memes, movie characters, and music-inspired outfits taking the stage in rapid succession. This year, there were just about as many Barbeneimer costumes as expected but, surprisingly, very few references to Taylor Swift. Instead, dogs dressed up as the Red Hot Chili “Puppers,” Missy Elliott, Dolly Parton, hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, and David Byrne.

Awards at the Great PUPkin work like this: the judges choose the 10 best and immediately hand out rosette ribbons to seven of them. Then, the top three are announced in no particular order and return to the stage for a final face-off. It’s the audience’s choice from there, with first place awarded to the dog who receives the loudest cheers.

Some years, there is suspense.

This year, the emcees had barely finished calling out the first seven names when a chant began in the audience. In a crowd of thousands, enough voices united to ensure that their demands were heard loud and clear from the steps below the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument. Their resounding chorus of “David Byrne! David Byrne! David Byrne!” echoed throughout the park.

As winners, including the New Year’s Eve pug and the canine rendition of Tom Fruin's "Watertower," came forward to collect their rosettes, the emcees moved on to the top three. In the Great PUPkin’s 25th year, they announced, the audience would be choosing between the panda, a rescue named Dusty dressed as Missy Elliott in her “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” music video, and, yes, David Byrne.

To no one’s surprise, the obvious champion was David Byrne, an 18-year-old chihuahua named Gertie who never misses any opportunity to sit in a backpack like the one owner Chrissy O’Toole used to create the first-place costume.

It was unclear how many spectators in a crowd of all ages actually understood the Talking Heads reference, versus what percentage of attendees simply found themselves enamored by the adorable contrast of a tiny dog head sticking out of a big suit. But even those unfamiliar with the ‘80s rock band could appreciate the cuteness of how Gertie dangled from O’Toole’s hands, gently swaying side-to-side with a wide-eyed expression at the hubbub around her.

The show was over, but for the dogs gathered in a park full of friends on an uncharacteristically warm October Saturday, the fun was just beginning.

That’s the beauty of holding a competition for dogs, whether it’s the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show or a celebrated Brooklyn costume contest that’s smaller in scale but more inclusive in spirit — the dogs, it seems, don’t really understand the difference between winning and losing. So as they sniff each other’s butts and frolic together in fallen leaves, there are no hard feelings, no negative emotions to cloud the rest of the weekend.

Sure, not every entrant got a standing ovation or a personalized chant, but they all walked (or ran or rolled or got carried) across the stage to the sound of boisterous applause. Those who enjoy being petted by strangers had an endless sea of hands waiting to do exactly that post-contest. And presumably, they all got extra treats for their efforts.

Then, there’s the joy of even just attending such a smile-inducing event, so wonderfully potent that every audience member — canine, human, or otherwise — will walk away feeling like a winner, too.