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Halloween can be a festive and fun time of year for children and families,
but for family pets, it can be a stressful and even dangerous time of
year. YGRR offers pet owners some commonsense tips to help pet owners
keep their pets safe during this time of year.
- Don't leave your pet out in the yard on Halloween. There are plenty
of stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, even
killed pets on this night.
- Make sure that even outdoor cats are indoors several days before,
during and after Halloween. Black cats in particular may be at risk
from children's pranks or cruelty incidents.
- Walk the dog early on Halloween night and hold the leash firmly. Dogs
don't understand masks and can be overwhelmed by shrieking children.
- Trick or treat candies are not for pets: Chocolate is poisonous to
a lot of animals, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be
hazardous if swallowed.
- Be careful with pets around a lit pumpkin: they may knock it over
and cause a fire. Curious kittens and puppies especially run the risk
of getting burned.
- Don't dress the dog or cat in costume unless you know he or she loves
it. Otherwise, it puts too much stress on the animal.
- If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying
or unsafe; it should not constrict movement, hearing or ability to breathe
or bark. Also, there should not be small, dangling or easily chewed-off
pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on. Dress the pet a
few times before Halloween to get it used to wearing the costume.
- Be careful not to obstruct your pet's vision; even the sweetest animal
can get snappy when he or she can't see.
- All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate
room during trick or treat visiting hours; too many strangers in strange
garb can be scary for a dog or cat. Lots of doorbell rings will cause
your dog to bark a lot -- try to calm him as best you can.
- When opening the door for trick or treaters, be very careful your
cat or dog doesn't dart outside. If possible, remove the top half of
your screen/storm door and pass the candy through the opening.
- Make sure your dog or cat is wearing proper identification. If, for
any reason, they escape and become lost, you increase the chances that
they will be returned to you.
- If your dog can handle the excitement/stress and goes along with family
trick or treaters (and an adult), make sure he doesn't become overheated
or chilled (in colder climates).
Return to Dog Safety Main Page
This information is made available to you by the efforts of YGRR volunteers.
To join them in helping our homeless Goldens, please consider
becoming a member or making a donation.
Thank you.
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