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Cruisin' Canines

Halloween Safety Tips for Dogs

 

With Halloween fast approaching, you may be looking forward to dressing your dog up in a silly costume and parading him around the neighborhood. While that’s all fun and good, it’s important to remember that while Halloween is fun for most people, some people use it as a night to pursue mischief, and it’s important to keep your dog safe and sound. Check out our top tips for pet safety during Halloween.

Keep Candy Away from Your Pooch

This might seem like a no brainer, but keeping your kids’ candy away from the dog is extra important around Halloween. Chocolate is dangerous for dogs to eat, of course, but mass amounts of sugar can be detrimental to virtually any living thing—after all, who doesn’t experience a bad sugar crash after consuming a handful of candy bars? All jokes aside, it’s extra important in times when you have candy readily accessible—in a bowl by your front door, in the kids’ candy pails—to make sure that your dog doesn’t wander off and eat it all while you’re not looking. This can cause your dog to become very ill.

Keep Your Dog Indoors

Unfortunately, Halloween for some people is a night of mischief and debauchery, and not in the cute way. Owners of black cats are warned to keep their cats indoors for fear of people stealing them due to superstition, and the same should be said for dogs of all types. It’s hard to think that there are people out there who would want to purposely cause harm to a dog, but sadly, there are. It’s best to keep your dog indoors during the festivities.

Maintain a Level of Calm Through Trick-or-Treating Hours

If your dog is anything like some dogs we know, the constant ringing of the doorbell will be a nightmare for everyone in your family, but most of all for your dog. If your dog is jumpy about the doorbell and barks when it happens, you may want to consider writing a note on your door for trick-or-treaters to knock instead of ring the bell. Alternatively, you can keep your dog in a room with a TV or the radio on so that the sound of the doorbell is drowned out and they can remain calm all evening.

Make Sure Costumes Are Safe and Not Too Hot

Finally, if you’re choosing to dress up your dog as a pumpkin, bumblebee, or anything else this Halloween, it’s important to make sure that the fabrics are safe and aren’t near anything that can set them on fire (such as decorative lights near where your dog is laying), and it’s also important to make sure that your dog doesn’t get too hot while wearing the costume. Remember, dogs have a fur coat that humans don’t, so even if you feel chilly and want to put a coat on, your dog may not and may already be quite warm, even without the costume. It’s best to only leave the costume on for short amounts of time to ensure your dog is optimally comfortable.

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