Half-sisters Mochi and Olive have caused quite a stir in the dog world. An Associated Press photo of the two in their flower headwear was the most e-mailed photo on Yahoo a week before Halloween.

Their mom, Lisa Woodruff of Huntington Beach, Calif., makes all of their costumes. They've won several costume contests because of her unique and fun designs.

The pugs have the same father and were born three weeks apart. Mochi, a fawn, was 9 weeks old and Olive, a black pug, was 6 weeks old when they were brought home by Woodruff and her husband, Woody.

Now at 5 1/2 years old, the petite girls are in their prime, both slightly under 15 pounds — and that's despite their favorite pastime: eating.

Woodruff's love affair with pugs began after her elderly Dalmation passed away. She did research on what breed would suit her best. She was looking for a dog that didn't need a lot of exercise and would be the ultimate companion dog.

"I wanted a dog that would love to follow me and want to sit on my lap," Woodruff said.

That describes the pug completely!

How did Woodruff start designing dog costumes? The first costume she made was for her Dalmation, who was dressed as a hula girl. She could not find costumes for large dogs, so she improvised. She used a human costume and re-sized it.

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When she got Mochi and Olive, her costumes got more creative. For the Haute Dog Howl-oween parade, Woodruff dressed them as authentic geishas.

Since Woodruff's mother is from Japan, she is familiar with its language and its customs. She found someone in Japan who made real kimonos for dogs. Then she set about making their wigs, using her own Japanese hair ornaments.

Her husband got in the act too. He used a child's bike cart to make their rickshaw.

Over the years, Mochi and Olive have dressed as surfer girls, in Easter dresses and bonnets, as elves and as sushi. Although Woodruff says she's not a clothing designer, her work has become well-known internationally. The girls have been featured on Japanese prime-time television and in documentaries in Germany and Spain.

Last month, an AP reporter did a story on Woodruff and her custom costumes.

"The girls did so well. They posed like models. The article came out on Oct. 15 and the rest is history! It's everywhere. Then the photo of them as flowers took off and became the most e-mailed photo on Yahoo," Woodruff said.

The Woodruffs' world revolves around their dogs. "We love to take them to dog-friendly cafes, so we can go out with them," said Woodruff. The girls love to ride in the car. Each dog has her own doggie car-seat so they're safe, besides having a good view out the window. Mochi dozes quickly, but Olive stays awake the whole time, captivated with the world outside.

UNIQUE TO PUG FANS

"Only pug people would understand this," said Woodruff. "To know a pug is to love a pug. I love their smooshed faces and big eyes and little crooked rice-grain-looking teeth. I take comfort in hearing their snores at night."

And she adds: "Did you know that pugs' feet smell like Fritos?"

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with The Advertiser for 19 years, or 133 in dog years. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs.