YOUR dog has been invited to a fancy dress party and has nothing to wear. What do you do? Luckily, more shops are springing to your aid - suppliers of outfits for man’s best friend report that demand for fancy dress has tripled in the past 12 months.

Favourites include Star Wars, Superman and witch costumes.

Angels Fancy Dress, a shop on Shaftesbury Avenue, London, that started selling to humans in 1840, has seen a 300% leap in demand this year. There was a boom around Hallowe’en as owners bought ghoul, witch and devil costumes and further growth is expected over Christmas. Owners who might previously have tried to throw together a homemade costume for their dog on occasion are now willing to pay for a ready-to-wear outfit.

Emma Angel, who runs the shop, said: “So many people dress their dogs up - they are becoming very much an accessory these days.”

Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today, said: “We’re a stone’s throw behind America, where they were doing fancy dress commercially at least five years ago.

“Jonathan Ross put a Yoda [Star Wars character] costume on his dog two years ago and it has escalated from there.

“Deep down we like dressing up and people have allowed their creativity to spill over to their canines.” The costumes offered by Angels cost from £10 to £25 and range from a tiny fit for a chihuahua up to larger versions for labradors.

The shop has sold several football shirts and witch outfits for bigger breeds, although generally smaller animals are easier to dress.

The Superdog costume is the most popular, with 40 sold at Hallowe’en. Bat Dog and canine Wonderwoman outfits have proved so popular that they are now out of stock.

Other suppliers include Jokers’ Masquerade, based in Newbury, Berkshire, which sells Buzz Lightyear, Snow White, Mickey Mouse and Eeyore the donkey costumes.

Pets at Home, Britain’s largest dog accessories company, has a line of Christmas fancy dress, and pet-pampering websites such as Diva Dogs also offer costumes for sale, including a Hot Dog and a monster suit called Dogzilla.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• An officer and a gentle woman
• Dame Helen Mirren is worthy of the Epidaurus
• Foods that can help to prevent swine flu