Editor’s Note: The following series, “Crescent City Canines,” is a week-long series curated by Becca Langman as part of the Tulane University Digital Civic Engagement class, in partnership with ViaNolaVie.
We all know and love the eccentricity New Orleans is so well-known for. From the backyard crawfish boils to the Tuesday parades down Canal just because the sun rose another day to Mardi Gras (need I say more); unconventionality runs through the blood of this city. But this manifests in more than how we get down on the weekends, it also shows itself in how we treat others. Others, of course, being our canine counterparts. Dogs and people have the same rights in New Orleans culture. We dress them up for holidays, parade them around town, and bring them out to eat. They hold a special, integral piece of New Orleans custom. This week, we will celebrate the precious pooches of the Crescent City by spotlighting 5 archived articles. Published in October of 2015, Renee Peck explores New Orleans’ love for dogs through our tradition of not only bringing them along to trick or treat but dressing them up in costumes more extravagant than most two-legged people.
At last, Louisiana has landed a spot at the top of a hit list. And it’s all because we’ve let Halloween go to the dogs.
Yes, it seems that Louisiana is No. 11 in the nation for taking our four-legged friends trick or treating. In costume (of course).
The Howl-o-ween tabulations come courtesy of a survey of 3,000 dog owners by Big Heart Pet Brands. Virginia was No. 1 in doggy trick or treaters. Go figure.
Here in Louisiana, it seems that 44 percent of us dress our dogs in costume for Halloween, and 21 percent take them trick or treating. Another 30 percent greet trick or treaters at the door with Fideaux alongside. So don’t blame me if your toddler comes home with a packet of jerky.
If you want to get in on the trend, and don’t want to recycle Mardi Gras’s canine tutu, here are a couple of last-minute ideas for dog costumes, from the pet food company. Really.
Chia Pet: Glue-gun plastic leaves onto an orange doggy t-shirt.
Big Bad Wolf: A shower cap, wig and old nightgown become Little Red Riding Hood’s worst nightmare. And maybe ours, too.
Super(dog)hero: A cape goes a long way in New Orleans. In any size.
NOLAbeings Multimedia artist Claire Bangser created NOLAbeings as a portrait-based story project that marries... 
Voodoo in New Orleans: Reviving history: New Orleans fortune telling This article takes a deep dive into the history of Voodoo in New Orleans, its hybridization with Catholicism, and its present-day place in the city's culture. The author visits fortune-tellers in the French Quarter, using their guidance as a tool for introspection rather than a deterministic predictor of the future. Through her experiences in New Orleans, the author feels a mystical connection to both the past and the future. 