Witches and goblins and ghouls, OH MY! Halloween night is enough to scare any dog. With strangely dressed intruders constantly ringing the doorbell, yelling things like “TRICK OR TREAT!” and quickly running away, your fur baby will be in a constant state of guarding their home and family. For some pups, this could be highly stressful and look more like a fight or flight situation. So how can you keep your fluff ball safe from “double, double toil and trouble”? Read on if you dare *muahahahahaha*...
Identify Your Victim
In case of a zombie apocalypse or mass exodus (in case your pup escapes) be sure to keep ID tags on your dog at all times on Halloween. This way if Fido gets terrified and scampers off he has a better chance of being returned to you immediately.
Now is the time to ensure your pet’s microchip is actually registered with a reputable pet finder company like Home Again or 24PetWatch.
Keeping your local animal control or non-emergency police phone numbers on hand will help you to quickly reach help should you need it.
Quaranteen Your Minion
For the love of all things four-legged, please do not leave your pup outside on Trick or Treat night. It is best to crate or quarantine them in a room furthest away from the front door. Set them up with a comfy bed, favorite toy, and maybe some soothing music or their favorite TV channel.
It is only for a few hours. Your doggo will not be upset with you for protecting them.
Hide Your Candy
Most Halloween candy can be lethal to your fur baby. At the very least it will give them runny doo-doo for a few days and no one wants that! Keep your candy dish in a cabinet or on a high shelf out of reach of curious fluff nuggets.
Let Your Werewolf be a Dog
Dog costumes are cute and fun...for humans! While some dogs tolerate ridiculousness, others can become highly stressed or agitated by costumes. If your dog displays any of the following signs, cease and desist making them look like a cute bumble bee or delicious hotdog. After all, your best friend’s health and well being are more important than your entertainment.
- Barking or biting at their costume
- Running away from your attempts to dress them
- Shaking off the imposter material
- Lowered ears or tucked tail
- Showing of teeth
- Walking in a manner that resembles an army crawl
Beware of Danger Lurking
Should you be one of the lucky ones who’s dog doesn’t mind being dressed up, inspect their costume for small parts they could break off and swallow or hanging threads that could tangle in their fur or around their nails.
While you’re at it, opt for battery-operated candles over traditional or else one swipe of Fluffy’s tail could bring your entire Halloween celebration down in flames!
Take Caution on Your Strange Journey
If you will be taking your dog out walking with you from house to house, avoid taking him up to front doors. While he is obviously the cutest and friendliest dog on the block, not everyone loves dogs (GASP) and not everyone will have their dogs under control. This is a bad recipe for a dog bite, dog fight, or an unhappy neighbor.
Have a designated dog walker in your group who can remain on the sidewalk, median, or common public area where it is safe to walk and remember to thank them with a few pieces of candy from your bucket!
Halloween may just be a bunch of hocus pocus to you, but it can be terrifying for Mr. Wiggle Bottom who will thank you for taking precautions to keep him as safe and stress-free as possible on this ghoulish night.
Have a paw-some evening and happy haunting!!
About the Author
Melissa Adkins is a certified social media marketer with over 8 years of experience in developing social media strategies. She has used her skills to find 13 "hard to adopt" rescue dogs forever homes in one year. Connect with her on LinkedIn.