Halloween is almost here. Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, goblins, and kids are all part of the spooky fun. But your pets may not think Halloween is fun. All of the hubbub that goes along with Halloween may make them anxious or afraid. It is up to you to keep your pets safe.
Here are 5 tips to keep your pets safe on Halloween.
1. Keep pets safe and inside. If your neighborhood is like mine, there will be a lot of kids dressed up in all manner of costumes, making a lot of noise and running from house to house. There will also be a lot more traffic as some parents prefer to follow their kids in their cars. This is not normal in our neighborhood and the dogs are not used to it so we plan to keep them in the house during the hours of trick-or-treat. If they need to go out to do their business we will make sure they are supervised. If you have a dog who is really anxious, you may want to consider taking them out on lead. If you have a cat that goes out (ours does not), you should also consider keeping them inside for the night.
2. Keep pets away from the front door. Our dogs love company but not all kids love dogs. We usually make sure the dogs are segregated from the front door area. Halloween is not the time to teach children how to approach or interact with a dog. Some dogs become anxious when they see kids dressed up in costume, or dogs can become over stimulated from all of the excitement. You would not want your anxious pet to growl or bite a child, or to bolt through the front door as you are trying to admire the kids and pass out candy. It is safest to keep pets away altogether.
3. Keep decorations away from pets. Many people put out special decorations and light pumpkins. Make sure these are not in an area pets can get to them. Some of the items may be dangerous or toxic if eaten. In the case of a pumpkin lit with a candle, you do not want your pet to inadvertently knock it over.
4. Keep candy away from pets. Most candy is not good for pets and some, like chocolate, is poisonous. Make sure to keep it away from your pets. Tip: It doesn’t hurt to have an extra pet safe treat so you pal or pals do not feel left out.
5. Light up your pet for safety. Perhaps you have a pet that absolutely loves the Halloween hubbub. Maybe you plan to walk them around the neighborhood to take part in the fun. Make sure they are visible to people and cars by putting a bright color or a reflective or light up collar on them. Drivers may also be distracted and you want to make sure your pet is as visible as possible.
What are your tips to keep your pets safe on Halloween?
We will be at school, so no worries here. Mom is tired of giving out candy all night long, so it works great for us this year.
We live in the country and never get kids out this way. Good advice though!
No one came to our old apartment for trick or treating, so I’m anxious to see if we have kids here this year! There are lots in the neighborhood, so I suspect we will. Luckily, my parents will be here visiting, so I can get them to interact with the children while Barley and I hide 😉
great tips!!! I will stay in the bedroom with the mama while dad gives the treats to the wild trick&treaters. the doorbell is a challenge , the mama said the dad maybe can wait outside to give the treats to the kids before they ring and knock on the door… dad dismissed that idea and now we have to ponder about a plan b :o)
Thunder looks FANTASTIC in his costume! Freighter looks like he might be planning to pee in your shoe after the photo shoot.
We keep all of our pets indoors on Halloween. We have lots of black cats, and people are not always kind.
LOL those are old photos. This year we did not have the energy to be too creative.
Halloween is pretty quiet where we live, so we don’t really have to worry about it!
5 excellent tips, we live in country so no tricker treaters for us.