Halloween.
A holiday that inspires dread in the hearts of beloved
pets everywhere.
They cower fearfully, anticipating the worst... and then,
without warning, the dreaded object of their terror is once again revealed...
...that
darned hot dog bun costume is back again.
All kidding aside, while Halloween is great fun for adults
and kids alike, it does pose a few hazards that as owners we need to be on the
look-out for to ensure a healthy and happy haunting time for all.
Halloween CandyI'm not going to win any four-legged friends with this, but
keep the candy away from your pup! Human goodies are rarely a good idea for
dogs, and some - especially chocolate - can be deadly. Even the candy wrappers
themselves can be dangerous if ingested. What may be tempting to the nose can
cause choking, upset stomach or even intestinal blockages. Bottom line, you'll
want to ensure that all candy is well out of the reach of inquisitive noses.
Trick-or-Treaters
While visitors are generally an exciting event for our dogs,
they can also be stress-inducing. Consider how your dog reacts when someone
knocks on your door. So now let's
multiply that by the number of trick-or-treaters - all strangers, all dressed
in strange and sometimes scary costumes - that will be knocking on your door
come Halloween. If your dog gets stressed or overly excited by visitors you
will want to consider options for keeping your dog away from all the fun. And
let's also not forget that there may be trick-or-treaters coming to your house who
are scared of dogs so the stress can go both ways if Cujo is barking and
jumping at the door every time there's a knock.
Halloween Costumes
Some pups love getting dressed up and being the object of
attention. Others, well... not so much. Be sensitive to your dog's comfort level
and don't force the issue if they are fearful. You'll also want to ensure the
costume is safe. Costumes that are too loose or large can get caught on
household objects that could fall on or trip your pet - or even pose a
strangulation risk, and costumes that are too tight can cut off circulation. No
matter what you dress your dog in never leave your costumed pet unattended.
Keep 'em Indoors!
It's critically important that no matter how comfortable
your dog is outside, you keep him inside for Halloween. Halloween is
unfortunately associated with an increased risk in animal cruelty at the hands
of people with a twisted sense of what is fun. While black cats are at most
risk, it's best to keep any pet indoors and away from any potential pranksters.
A 'Less-Stress' Alternative
Whether your Halloween plans call for a stream of
trick-or-treaters or a party, for the sake of everyone's stress level you might
want to consider boarding your pet overnight at Wag Zone. Instead of alerting
you to the 27th doorbell in the last 45 minutes or stealing candy
corn from your kid's treat bag, your dog can hang out here and do the monster mash with his pup friends and everyone can have a happy, healthy Howl-o-ween.
Hallooooo! Or shall I say Hallooooweeeen? Yes, that spooky time is back, complete with some of the cutest doggy costumes you ever done seen. Before dressing Fido in that tutu though, check out our article on Halloween Pup Smarts. 
We have enjoyed several very successful months of our
weekend Puppy Hours and are happy to have a number of these 'graduates' playing
on a regular basis in daycare. As puppy
'season' has largely passed, Puppy Hours are on hold until March, when we will
open our doors once again to next year's batch of newbies. 
New Lower Price!