Halloween Safety Tips for Pets {plus Halloween Treats for Dogs}
This post about Halloween Safety Tips for Pets, including Halloween treats for dogs, was compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All stories, opinions, and photos are my own. Well…except for the really cool Halloween photo frame featured below. #CollectiveBias #TrickOrTreatEm
When I was growing up, we rarely had pets. I remember one Chow dog that we had, Murphy, who would dig out of the yard and roam the neighborhood. We didn’t have him long. I also remember having a few cats along the way, but they never seemed to stick around. I never got attached to a pet and I was just convinced that I was too allergic to pets to love them too much. As I got older and was out on my own, I figured I was a cat person so I picked up two kittens and they became the loves of my life for a few years. It wasn’t until I met my dad’s new dog, Missy, that I learned to love dogs. She was/is my favorite dog in the world and she has loved me from the minute we met.
When Howard and I moved in together and then got pregnant, we bought a Pug named Pepper and raised her like she was our baby. We had her through my entire pregnancy and when I wasn’t working, she was glued to my side. She was my best friend in the days when I didn’t have a job and Howard was working long hours and driving an hour to work and back. After Benjamin was born, she was glued to his side and loved that boy with all of her heart. We lost Pepper one day when she got out of the house and I couldn’t chase her because I had a newborn and was leaving for work. I came back to get her after dropping off Benjamin, but it was too late. She loved to run the streets and she died doing what she loved.
Shortly after we lost Pepper, we had to move to an apartment and then it was time to get rid of our two cats, the two kittens I mentioned above. I was heartbroken, having recently lost Pepper and then having to lose Skittle and Callie as well. It took me a while after we moved from the apartment into a house before I could agree to have pets again. And then we met Molly. Molly is a half German Shepherd and half Boxer and she is our big softy protector. I’ll have to tell you the story of how we fell in love in another post, but she needed a friend. I had been longing for another Pug for a while so we met Abby. These two are like Rob and Big from MTV and they get into some crazy shenanigans. We do our darndest every single day to protect them and keep them healthy and happy.
If you’re like us, you want to keep your pet safe and that is why I’m giving you a few Halloween Safety Tips for Pets today and telling you about a few Halloween treats for dogs that you’ll want to pick up and pamper your furbabies.
Halloween Safety Tips for Pets
1. Safe Costumes
Many people love to dress up their pets for Halloween and there are some adorable pet costumes out there. What you want to keep in mind when picking out a costume is safety. Think about your little one down close to the ground and the obstacles the costume could create. Yes, it’s fun to see a furbaby in a tutu, but be sure the skirt doesn’t drag the ground or stick out so much that it can get hung on branches or other random obstacles in the way. Be sure that your pet’s costume is comfortable and fits well, not too big and certainly not too small. Make sure that the costume is leash friendly and isn’t constricting in any way. And just for your own peace of mind, be sure that the costume doesn’t get in the way of your pet “doing her business” as she walks along all the yards she may need to mark. Finally, if your pet appears stressed in her costume, just leave it at home and let her go in her birthday suit. It’s a perfectly acceptable costume for her.
2. Leash your pet
Whether you choose a leash or a harness, be sure that you leash your pet during Halloween. There are too many distractions and scary costumes that can get your pet excited and you certainly don’t want a skittish pet to run into the road or just run off in general. Along with this tip, you should also have the proper identification on your pet so she knows how to get home if the leash doesn’t hold her.
3. Consider leaving her at home
Although it may be fun for some pets to get out in the crowd and follow their best friend around from house to house, some pets tend to get stressed or even overly excited around crowds. Molly, for instance, tinkles just a little when we have visitors. She would be a little too skittish to be out and about around so many people and we would be cleaning up messes every few minutes if we left her out when the trick-or-treaters came by the house. Consider locking up your pet in a room or in the backyard while the festivities are going on. Give her a new chew toy or a special bone to keep her occupied so she doesn’t feel like she’s missing out on all the fun.
4. Watch your decor
Halloween is the time for candles and lights, but these decorations are dangerous for your pet. Be sure to have your decór up high enough so that your pet can’t get curious and decide to chew on your talking candy bowl or spider webs in the doorway. Pumpkins with a flame in them should be away from your pet’s reach and talking decorations should be high enough so your pet won’t decide to attack it like an intruder.
5. No candy!
We all know that chocolate is dangerous for our pets, but the other candy is as well. If your dogs are like mine, they want whatever my son has and he’s usually happy to oblige. Candy is not good for their tummies and can make them sick. Save the candy for the cavity monsters and buy your pet some treats like I have below. If your neighborhood has a lot of friendly pets, consider making treat bags for the dogs to hand out along with the candy and treats for the kids.
This week I headed out to Kroger to pick up the supplies I needed to give my dogs some treat bags. I hit the jackpot because I found several on sale. I picked up Milk-Bone, Pup-peroni, Milo’s Kitchen, and Canine Carry-outs for less than $10! I also picked up a couple of simple costumes for the girls at a pet store and just couldn’t wait to try them out to see what they thought of them.
Abby loved her cowgirl dress so much that she was strutting around in it like she was a movie star. I picked just a simple hippie bandana for Molly because, well…it’s just difficult to pick a costume for a giant like Molly. They had so much fun running around in their costumes and I was doing my darndest to grab a couple of photos of them. Taking photos of crazy dogs, like mine, is not easy!
After I got a good shot, I uploaded one of the photos to Kroger’s Trick or Treat ‘Em site and made this fun frame and took a personality quiz for each of my dogs. I then received a coupon for even more treats! My dogs are so going to love me after this month!
Thanks for all the great tips! Your doggies look adorable in their costumes!
Great tips! We see a lot of people with their dogs on Halloween night, and while it may be easier to leave them at home while going door-to-door, I think it is adorable when they are all dressed up, and in some cases, they could also provide a little safety reinforcement just being there. Love the idea of giving out little treats for the Halloween puppies!
How fun to get the dogs involved for Halloween! So fun!
These are some great tips!! I’ve grown up with dogs and had them my whole life, but my husband is afraid of dogs. I hate when we go trick or treating with the kids and people bring their dogs — without leashes — who are not well behaved and scare the heck out of him.
Great tips for keeping those precious fur babies safe!
It’s so important to keep our animals safe too! I love the costumes.
I always see Yoda when I see pugs, too cute- She looks like she’s ready to break out in a square dance! We like to make treat bags for any dogs that come to the door on Halloween, we get quite a few! #client
SO cute, she looks adorable in her outfits. Yes I have heard chocolate is not good for dogs too.
What adorable dogs! I love the little Halloween goodie bags.
Well I think the Candy is definitely a no-brainer. My mother in law’s dog died because he was fed table scraps and had diabetes from all the no no’s they’d give their dog from the table. These are great tips, and I’d leave my dog at home too while trick or treating.
My dog is a complete spaz, so he can’t come out trick or treating with us. I wish he could, though.