While with Viki in Baltimore, we went to the mall for dinner and ended up stopping in a store called Jake's Dog House because they had a life-sized Boston terrier statue in the window. Viki hates dogs, especially small ones, but she remained a good sport as I became entranced with the doggie Halloween costumes.

Rob had wanted Goblin to masquerade as a mad scientist, complete with lab coat, thick glasses, and unruly shock of hair. Oddly, this outfit was not available, but I called him on my cell phone to see if he might approve of a dinosaur costume. He liked the idea but asked what else they had.

"Devil ears and a pumpkin," I said.

He requested more information on the devil ears, and we settled on that as more appropriate than anything else. "Besides," he said, "they'll match her cape."

It is true that Goblin has a cape, a black one with a high collar. Doesn't everyone? She wears it every now and again when she is in a sinister mood, and I do not think much about it. So when I mentioned this existing apparel to the cashier, I was not prepared for the reaction: "Your dog has a cape?"

This from a woman who had just sold me doggie devil ears.