October 26, 2010

Spare Your Pet the Spooks this Halloween

Tips from The HSUS for a safe holiday

Editor's note: The photos here were submitted by Pet of the Week readers and visitors to humanesociety.org. Skippy is a lovable rescue cat who loves to give "head-butts." Jan Simmons
Madison was adopted from an animal shelter 11 years ago. Marianne Ryan
Bridget likes to take Q-tips out of the container to play fetch with them. Sharon Kuennen
Chanelle (aka "Little Black Bullet") likes to bring love and joy to homebound seniors. Cindy Renshaw/HSUS
Cynder was rescued from a life as a stray cat. He puts his arms around your neck and gives kisses. Judith Swanson

While Halloween can be a good time for children and adults alike, The Humane Society of the United States is reminding pet owners that this haunting holiday may be too scary for your pet. Companion animals aren’t used to the doorbell-ringing, costumed creatures and general hustle-and-bustle that come into our homes at this time of year.

“For your pet’s comfort and safety, the best thing that you can do is to make sure that they have a stress-free holiday,” according to Adam Goldfarb, director of the Pets at Risk program for The Humane Society of the United States. “The noises, smells and people can be overwhelming for many pets on Halloween, so create a safe haven in one room of your home where he or she can quietly relax.”

To help keep pets safe and happy this Halloween, The HSUS recommends the following tips:

Keep your pets safely indoors, away from trick-or-treaters and other Halloween activities.
Make sure that all of your pets are wearing tags with current ID. Opening the door repeatedly for trick-or-treaters creates plenty of escape opportunities.
Keep candy out of your pets’ reach. Chocolate and other ingredients can be toxic to them.
Most pets are happiest wearing nothing but their birthday suit, but if you do choose a costume for your pet, forgo masks and make sure costumes are comfortable and do not pose a risk for injury.
Decorations can be dangerous, so be sure to keep them safely away from pets. Candle flames can set fire to a pet’s fur. Hanging or dangling decorations can be an entanglement or choking hazard to some animals.
Use fake cobwebs sparingly, if at all. Pets can choke on fake cobwebs set up indoors. Outdoors, fake webs may be a hazard to birds and wildlife.
When going out trick-or-treating, leave your dog at home. Dogs can be easily excited by the Halloween commotion and a dog bite or lost dog will quickly end the evening’s fun.

Don’t forget about wildlife on Halloween, either. Nocturnal animals, such as raccoons, opossums and foxes will be out looking for food. If you come across a wild animal while out trick-or-treating, your best bet is to keep your distance (and keep your pets away from wild animals, too). And though bats are classically associated with Halloween, those in colder climates will most likely be hibernating at this time of year.

Paying heed to the tips above, we can all work together to keep our beloved pets and our wild neighbors safe this Halloween.

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the Web at humanesociety.org.