Howl-oween: Top Dog Pumpkin Carving Patterns

It's Halloween on Saturday, and usually the dog blogs are heaving with advice on keeping dogs safe and far away from the candy and chocolate. Ours is no exception. But I thought it was worth examining the flipside of the spooky celebration...

Carving the pumpkin is one of the most time-consuming enjoyable hands-on bit of the holiday. It's a bit of work - I won't lie - but always has impressive results. Gone are the days when a few wobbly triangles would do the trick; carving patterns have been the way forward for some years, now.

Note to youngsters and the clumsy (like me): please be careful with sharp objects and ask an adult to help!

Here are some of the best printable dog-themed carving patterns I've found by searching online. Enjoy!

Advanced carvers:

Dog Breed Stencils - The Beagle one is ridiculously cute. Some are simpler than others, so if you're an ambitious beginner, do take a look!

Dog in Shadow - Not outstandingly difficult but does require thinning out one area rather than cutting through, which might be tricky for first-timers.

Beginners:

Smiley Dog - A simple design that just needs a small sharp tool to get around the curves.

Grumpy Dog - As above, really - not complex, just a little fiddly in parts. And grumpy. Definitely grumpy.

DLTK Scooby-Doo - Surprisingly straightforward!


Or, of course, you could always make a pumpkin cat...

[Image Source: Randy Son of Robert Flickrstream]