Keep Pets Safe this Halloween

Here at Behavior United, pet safety is extremely important to us. With a little planning ahead, you and your pets can enjoy a safe and spooky Halloween. Check out our quick tips below, then read on for more information.

1. Keep Candy out of Reach: Ensure any Halloween candy is stashed out of reach of prying paws. Especially important if you’ve got a counter surfing dog. Put candy behind a door — cupboard, pantry, closet — that your pet can’t open. ASPCA Poison Control Line: (888) 426–4435

2. Keep Pets Inside: Plan ahead and decide where you’ll keep your pet during the onslaught of trick-or-treaters. A room with a closed door or a comfortable crate are options to prevent door dashing. If you’ve got a nervous pet, have someone stay in the room with them for reassurance. Prepare a food puzzle toy they can work on to keep busy. An ounce of prevention… 

3. Pets Sensitive to Noise: Park yourself outside your door or in the driveway and hand out treats before the kiddos can knock or ring the bell. This simple tactic can help keep fearful pets calm. Maybe your pet is the one creating extra noise when they hear someone at the door — many dogs thoughtfully alert us with barking. Preventing the noise at the door will also prevent the noise inside. 

4. Just in case of an escape, be sure your pet is wearing an ID tag. If your pet is also microchipped, now is a good time to ensure your information is up to date. Ensure your pet’s ID tag is also clear enough to read, and no letters or numbers have been rubbed off.

5. Watch Your Decorations! Decorations and wires can look like lots of fun to our pets. Think about the damage a knocked over jack-o-lantern or chewed wire could cause. And those spooky decorations might come back to haunt you later — as a stomach obstruction. Keeping the haunted area of your house in a smaller area or where you can restrict access is ideal, and a strong response to ‘leave it’ is a must. 

Have a great Halloween! Tag us in your pet pix! @behaviorunited