Ty, a 6-month-old Shetland sheepdog, lay down next to his owner at Pet Quarters on Stillwater Avenue Saturday afternoon. Bedecked in an orange pumpkin costume, the patient pooch watched events at one the more unusual Halloween parties in town while his owner, 13-year-old Beau Brigham of Hermon, chatted with other dog lovers.

About 80 pets brought their owners to the party which featured a slew of trophies, punch, humans dressed as dogs, and dogs dressed as humans.

Halloween still is a day away, but a few free spirits in central and northern Maine let loose this weekend in pre-Halloween celebrations.

A haunted house at Bass Park gave Queen City revelers a chance to strut their Halloween stuff and get in the mood for Oct. 31.

A Saturday night kids’ party in the basement of All Souls Congregational Church in Bangor scared the heebie-jeebies out of about three dozen miniature ghosts and gremlins.

On a more serious note, employees of Katahdin Taxi in Millinocket raised $1,435 through a pre-Halloween project to benefit others. The company got more than 100 calls Saturday night in its campaign to drive Halloween party-goers to and from their destinations. All money earned that night will benefit a local support group working with cancer victims and their families. Lisa Pelkey, owner of the cab company, said that today she will turn the check over to the Katahdin Area Support Group.

At Pet Quarters in Bangor, dogs dressed in tutus and as dinosaurs roamed the store. Two bantam roosters dressed in cowboy outfits hid under the arm of their owner, Janice Dill of Ellsworth. Sandy, a 1 1/2-pound Chihuahua, shook in her cowgirl hat as a huge Doberman woofed nearby. Craig Popper, 5, of Bangor and his brother, Collin, 4, paraded their pooch, Katie, in front of the judges. “She’s Simba,” Craig proclaimed, explaining his dog was dressed as a character from the hit movie “The Lion King.”

The party drew a large number of customers to the store. It is an annual event at all Pet Quarters outlets, according to one employee.

“I really feel like its Halloween now,” said Dill as she cradled her roosters amidst a cacophony of howls in the store.