As part of its Strange Garden festivities, held Oct. 22-31, Desert Botanical Garden invites four-legged friends to stop by on Halloween for some seasonal spirit (photo courtesy of Desert Botanical Garden).

Pet parents will find two spook-tacular ways to put their pooch in the picture this October at these seasonal celebrations.

First, get ready for the Dog Costume Contest, held as part of the 2026 Festival in the Mountains, with a photoshoot with a professional photographer.

Pet parents who want to participate in the contest, sponsored by Pet Supplies Plus Moon Valley, will need to participate in a 20-minute photo shoot ($5 suggested entry donation) in advance. Photo shoots will be held at the North Mountain Visitor Center, 12950 N. 7th St., between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Thursday, Friday or Saturday, Oct. 29-31. Contestants should arrive in costume. Email the photographer to set up a session: cheryltolo@gmail.com

Voting takes place on the first two days of the festival, held Nov. 6-8 at the Center – the winner will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 8. See “Celebrate preserve land at Festival in the Mountains” for all of the event details.

Then, head over to Desert Botanical Garden on Saturday, Oct. 31 to get into the Howl-o-ween spirit as part of the Strange Garden festivities – a week-long event held Oct. 22-31.

During the Oct. 31 event, held from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., guests are encouraged to bring their four-legged friends for a day of fun and photo-ops with fall décor. Of course, costumes are encouraged.

Desert Botanical Garden is located at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway. For information, visit https://dbg.org/strange-garden or call 480-941-1225.