Carve Your Pumpkin To Look Just Like Fido

Better Homes and Gardens is giving away free pumpkin carving stencils, and you can choose from 13 different breeds of dogs. They have Beagles, Boxers, Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Jack Russell Terriers, Labrador Retrievers, and Poodles - all guaranteed to make your neighbors and friends rave about how incredibly artistic you are!

They're easy to use, especially if you have a printer - as you can adjust the size of the stencil, and print it out to use directly on the pumpkin. If not, you can still do this - just use thin tracing paper and lightly trace the pattern from your computer screen. The BH&G instructions are as follows:

1. Clean out the pumpkin, scraping the flesh thinnest in the region in which you’ll carve the design.

2. Attach the pattern to the pumpkin with tape.

3. Use a pin to make closely spaced pin pricks along the stencil lines, piercing the paper.

4. Use thin crafts, linoleum, or wood-cutting knives to carve the pattern. Cut completely through solid lines, simply peel away skin within dotted lines to enhance features.

Making a dog breed pumpkin this Halloween will be fun, but don't forget how healthy pumpkins are to eat. You can save the seeds for snacking, and bake pumpkin dog treats from the pulp. Keep your dogs and cats indoors, and have a safe happy Halloween this year!