Halloween Safety Tips for Spooktacular Pets

Posted by Pets Best on 10/31/2007 in Lifestyle

Happy Halloween! As pet owners everywhere gear up for the spookiest night of the year by shopping for costumes, getting out the doggie glow sticks and hiding the chocolate, we wanted to share a list of quick tips to help you and your pet have a spooktacular night. 

• Be sure to keep chocolate, raisins and other potentially harmful food away from pups.  In some cases, chocolate has proven lethal.

• Think like your pet.  As cute as that Wonder Woman costume is, if your pet seems miserable, she probably is.  That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have her in it long enough to snap a few hundred photos or so!  On the flip side, if your dachshund absolutely loves his new skunk costume or your Siamese makes the cutest devil you’ve ever seen, remember to supervise him closely as costumes can be easily chewed or caught in surrounding trees or bushes when outside trolling for candy.

• Realize that children knocking and a doorbell ringing every few minutes will most likely create moderate to severe anxiety in your pets and trigger the protective instinct in dogs when it comes to guarding their pack.  Providing them with a safe place to wait it out—like the bedroom or their crates—will help alleviate some of this anxiety.

• If your pup is out on the sidewalk and streets, pick up a Halloween glowstick for his collar.  Not only will the kids think it’s great, but he will be more likely to be seen by trick-or-treaters and drivers and not as likely to be trampled underfoot.

• Lastly, as much as we hate to mention the tricksters of Halloween who seem to take pleasure in spoiling a perfectly good celebration, Halloween does seem to be the night that malicious pranksters enjoy preying on our precious pets.  Knowledge is power, so understanding that not everyone that night has good intentions may prompt you to leave your furbabies in for the night.  Know your neighborhood and realize that Halloween offers a chance for kids and teenagers to be naughty, as well as nice.

Be well, be safe and most of all, enjoy the fun!