McMINN REGIONAL HUMANE SOCIETY

“Until there are none, adopt one”

Education - Care & Training Tips

Keep Your Pet Safe on Halloween

Halloween is a fun time for everyone, except, perhaps, for our pets. This Halloween, follow these tips, and share them with others, to help keep all pets safe.

• Protect your pet during Halloween by keeping it at home. A pets who's out with Trick-or-Treaters can be spooked by the excited voices of youngsters, as well as by their costumes, causing the animal to run and become lost from home.
• While you're greeting Trick-or-Treaters at your home, keep your pet confined and away from the door. This will help to prevent your dog or cat from darting outdoors.
• If you're a dog owner, remember that your pooch may feel that its territory is being invaded by the constant ringing of the door bell or the knocks on your front door, and, therefore, may become anxious and bothered. By keeping him or her away from the front door, you'll help to keep your dog calm and prevent it from growling or possibly biting your visiting goblins and ghouls.
• We recommend that you always keep your cat indoors, unless it's wearing a harness and leash and is with you. However, if you own a cat who is black, you need to be especially careful on Halloween since Trick-or-Treaters may be inclined to yell or act excitedly when they see it, and this could, of course, frighten your feline friend.
• It's also important to remember that some people are superstitious about black cats and could try to harm them.
• If you're thinking of giving someone a black cat to celebrate Halloween, give that person a gift certificate for the Idaho Humane Society instead. This will allow the individual to select just the right cat, or other pet, for themselves and to adopt a new pet at a time that's most convenient for them.
• Celebrate Halloween with your pet by sharing with it only goodies that are made especially for its species, like dog biscuits or cat treats. Additionally, keep the Halloween candy in your house out of your pet's reach. Just like table scraps, candy can make your pet quite sick. In fact, chocolate can actually be fatal to dogs.
• Halloween is a fun time for everyone, except, perhaps, for our pets. This Halloween, follow these tips, and share them with others, to help keep all pets safe.

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*Many thanks to the Denver Dumb Friends League for providing this content!