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Howl-o-ween Safety Tips for Your Pets

By
Mortgage and Lending with First Priority Financial Inc., NMLS# 3257, ​Elise NMLS #255824, Glenn NMLS# 1124642 NMLS 255824

Santa Rosa Taco ChihuahuaSpiders and skeletons and bats, Oh Boy! Halloween is in a couple of days and that is always one of my favorite holidays to decorate our home at Creekside Groves in . I have the fog machine, witch’s cauldron, skeletons, grave stones, strobe lights and scary music.

Fun, fun, fun!! And it’s always such a delight to see all the kids in their costumes. There are some really awesome ones now for kids... they are getting more and more elaborate every year. It’s fun to open the door to Darth Vaders, mummy’s, vampires, ballerinas, witches, goblins, pirates and all the other assorted characters that kids can dream up.

What’s even more amazing though is some of the PET costumes I have seen!! OMG! There are some cute ones, too, especially for the little dogs. Do you think I could ever get a costume on my two Golden Retrievers and Corgi? NO WAY - they would have none of that!! I don’t know how people manage to get their dogs to sit still for that, let alone go to a pet party or a parade, but they do and it sure is fun to see.

My dogs absolutely LOVE the trick-or-treaters, so imagine the looks on the faces of the kids when I open our door and here stands my 100 pound Golden, Tiberious, ready to get petted! He’s a big boy and is at eye level with alot of them. It’s always good for a shreek or two... I guess it’s part of my evil little pleasure at scaring the kids. Come on now... I have to have some fun, too!

Don’t forget though, that there can be some scary things about Halloween for your pets too, just as there are for kids. So here are a few tips and suggestions to consider:

1. If you take the family dog with you on your trick-or-treat rounds with the kids, be sure they have a good collar, tag and a strong leash. You never know what might ‘spook’ them and you don’t want them to slip out of your hands.

2. Make sure your pet has been microchipped... imagine how awful you would feel if your pet got freaked out by some of the trick-r-treaters and took off. They can get scared just like you can and out the door they go or escape from the back yard. Even more frightening would be if they were stolen! So protect your pet and have some peace of mind and get them chipped. It usually doesn’t cost more than $50, so ask your vet or call your local humane society and see if they have an inexpensive service.

3. If you have a nervous pet, keep them in a secure area of your home. Don’t even let them roam the house. Make sure they are calm and quiet in a back bedroom where they won’t hear the door bell ringing. Make sure you check on them regularly.

4. Don’t give them candy! Everyone should know by now that chocolate can be deadly to some dogs, so just avoid giving into those big brown eyes. It’s not good for them, nor is alot of that sugary other candy that is so popular at Halloween.  Besides...that leaves more for you!

Have a safe and Happy Halloween... and if you can get away with dressing up your pets, more power to you!


 

Mike Carlier
Lakeville, MN
More opinions than you want to hear about.

Good advice. Even those of us who have heard this before need to be reminded that there are going to be stress and temptations for the most obedient and well-adjusted dog.  Just because they have never ventured into the candy bowl before is not a good enough reason to expect the behavior to continue.  Also, the most well-socialized dog could get spooked by a kid in a spook costume with tragic and unexpected behavior. 

Elise, FYI, we had a litter of Goldens whose sire was from Petaluma.  Kept two and lost the last one at age 16 in 2009.  She was an agility dog who got her last title when she was 15.

Oct 29, 2011 05:23 AM
Li Read
Sea to Sky Premier Properties (Salt Spring) - Salt Spring Island, BC
Caring expertise...knowledge for you!

Always worth repeating these good tips...thank you!

Oct 29, 2011 05:40 AM
​​Elise & Glenn Groves, Mortgage Brokers ​First Priority Financial, Inc.
First Priority Financial Inc., NMLS# 3257, ​Elise NMLS #255824, Glenn NMLS# 1124642 - Santa Rosa, CA
Mortgage Broker,Banker, FHA, VA, Conv, Jumbo - Pur

MIke..wow..16!  And an agility dog still at 15.  That's really impressive!!  I have had 9 Goldens in my life, and the most recent, Tiberius, will be 2 in December.  He is from a very high end kennel in Cotati, Birnam Wood.  There is just nothing like a Golden!   Plus...ALL of them have loved Halloween trick-or-treaters!

Oct 29, 2011 05:55 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Very good advice for pet owners!

Oct 30, 2011 05:23 AM
Don MacLean
New England Real Estate Center Inc. - Easton, MA
Realtor-Homes for Sale- Easton, Mass 02356

Elise, great tips.

People need to think of them before the first trick or treater and not after.

Enjoy the day

Oct 30, 2011 05:43 AM
Belinda Spillman
Aspen Lane Real Estate Colorful Colorado - Aurora, CO
Colorado Living!

Elise,  That poor little puppy.  A taco???  My Rocky would go nuts if I tried to dress him up.  He is a very easy going boy, but costumes.... not so much.

rocky

Oct 30, 2011 07:01 AM
​​Elise & Glenn Groves, Mortgage Brokers ​First Priority Financial, Inc.
First Priority Financial Inc., NMLS# 3257, ​Elise NMLS #255824, Glenn NMLS# 1124642 - Santa Rosa, CA
Mortgage Broker,Banker, FHA, VA, Conv, Jumbo - Pur

Roy - I love your Halloween photo!  That's really fun.

Don - I don't know how dogs nerves stand all those funny looking kids and stuff, but they do somehow.   I hand out glow necklaces, so if I see that there is a family out trick-or-treating with their dogs I am sure to give the kids a glow necklace for the dog too! 

Belinda - what a beautiful boy!

Oct 30, 2011 10:15 AM
Jeanean Gendron
The Address Realty - Redding, CA
Specializing in Selling Unique Properties

Elise, I have to agree with Belinda....my Golden would dis-own us....decided to dress her up in Picknick instead. Showed my husband your photos....we laughed at the taco idea. Anything we do to our beloved GiGi gets done to us as well. Too funny. Giving her a bath...well we all get baths. Thanks for a cute post on pet safety for Halloween. We must make sure they are safe! Have a fun & and safe Halloween.

Oct 30, 2011 12:36 PM
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