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Republican Senator Hosting Annual 'Bipawtisan' Dog Costume Party: 'A Cause Everyone Can Unite For'

Republican Senator Hosting Annual 'Bipawtisan' Dog Parade
Republican Senator Hosting Annual 'Bipawtisan' Dog Parade

Sen. Thom Tillis Thom Tillis

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis will host his traditional "bipawtisan" dog costume parade for Capitol Hill staffers later this month, an event that allows lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle to dress their pooches (and themselves) up for Halloween.

The annual event began in 2017 and was paused last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Senator Tillis has always had a very dog-friendly office and may have 2-5 dogs come in any given day," a spokesperson for the lawmaker tells PEOPLE. "In that spirit, Senator Tillis hosted the first Bipawtisan Halloween Dog Parade in 2017 so members of Congress and staffers on both sides of the aisle could come together for a cause everyone can unite for: dogs in costumes."

The event will be held on Oct. 27 and is open to all those working on Capitol Hill — and, of course, their furry friends.

Republican Senator Hosting Annual 'Bipawtisan' Dog Parade
Republican Senator Hosting Annual 'Bipawtisan' Dog Parade

Sen. Thom Tillis Dog Halloween party invite

"Members of Congress weren't in session in 2018, so he hosted his second event in 2019 that was a huge success and grew from the hallway outside our office to the Hart Atrium," the spokesperson continues. "Unfortunately, Senator Tillis was forced to cancel last year due to COVID, so he is excited to host his third Bipawtisan Halloween Party on October 27th and invites everyone on Capitol Hill to join."

The event will see dogs traveling from the Dirksen Senate Office Building to the Hart atrium in the Hart Senate Office Building.

In a 2019 release, the 61-year-old North Carolina Republican said the event was held in the spirit of bipartisanship (a sentiment seemingly lacking in the current congressional fight over President Joe Biden's spending plan and the debt ceiling).

Republican Senator Hosting Annual 'Bipawtisan' Dog Parade
Republican Senator Hosting Annual 'Bipawtisan' Dog Parade

Sen. Thom Tillis Thom Tillis

"Everyone thinks we all hate each other and we just came up with the idea that if you've got a dog, you're a good person," Tillis said in his 2019 statement. "On any given day, I've got two or three dogs running loose in my office. They can join the pack."

In a highlight reel shared to Twitter that year, dogs of all sizes could be running (leashed, of course) through the halls in various costumes, including a shark, a pumpkin and even Batman.

RELATED: New Hampshire Lawmakers Say They've Been Told to Keep Their Pets Out of Virtual Meetings

Tillis' own dog, Mitch, did not attend the last event — held in 2019 — though he did dress up in honor of the occasion, with the senator's wife, Susan, sharing a photo on Twitter.

"Mitch hated to miss the bipawtisan parade on Capitol Hill today but he did dress up for the occasion as his favorite superhero," she wrote, alongside a photo of Mitch, the couple's now 3-year-old cockapoo, dressed as Iron Man.

An invitation for the event — which Tillis' office says will be sent out Wednesday — notes that the event will be held at 5 p.m. on Oct. 27, adding: "All dogs and humans are welcome and encouraged to wear costumes."