Halloween Tips for your Pets Denver Dumb Friends League Villa la Paws

Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween

Halloween is a fun holiday for humans, but there are some things you should do to make sure it doesn’t get scary for pets. Here are some tips that will help keep pets safe:

Protect your pets on Halloween by keeping them indoors. A pet that’s out at night with trick-or-treaters might get spooked by noises and costumes, which could cause him to run away.

Halloween Safety for Cats

Cats should be kept indoors at all times, and if you have a solid black or solid white cat, you should be especially careful about keeping it indoors on Halloween. Some people are superstitious about cats and may try to scare or harm them.
Keep pets confined and away from the door while you’re greeting trick-or-treaters to prevent them from darting outdoors.

Halloween Safety for Dogs

Your dog may feel that his territory is being invaded by the constant onslaught of visitors. Keep your dog in a secluded area of the house to help him stay calm and prevent him from growling or possibly biting your visiting ghouls and goblins.
Keep Halloween candy out of your pet’s reach because it can make your pet sick. In fact, chocolate and raisins can be fatal to dogs. Instead, celebrate Halloween with goodies made especially for pets, like dog biscuits or cat treats.

Animal Costume Tips

All Colorado dogs are Bronco Fans so if you need a costume, check out some great options here or these Fun dog costumes here. Who doesn’t love dressing up their four-legged friend for the holiday? Here are some Halloween costume safety tips to prevent a frightfully dangerous night:

Don’t restrict your pet’s ability to walk and sit down comfortably. If your dog or cat looks miserable, they probably are.
Don’t make your pet wear a mask that covers their eyes, ears or nose.
Don’t put your pet in a costume that makes it difficult to breathe. This is especially important for flat-nosed dogs such as bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers and Pekinese.
Always supervise your dog while in costume so they don’t chew or eat any costume parts.

These tips were provided by the Denver Dumb Friends League

‘Top Dog” Eileen Proctor, Denver’s newest pet lifestyle expert offered some statistics and do’s and don’ts of dressing pets in Halloween costumes.

According to the National Retail Federation, 15% of Americans plan to deck out their dogs this Halloween
Americans will spend nearly $300 million on costumes for pets this year

To make sure dogs are safe and comfortable in their costumes:

Avoid masks that cover the face and ears
Mobility/freedom of motion is essential
Costumed pets should be supervised at all times
Help pets ease into the act of dressing up in the few days leading up to Halloween
If your pet looks miserable, they probably are. Opt for a festive bandana instead.

If you want everyone in town to see your fabulous pooch decked out in his Superman costume be sure to come down to Mainstreet for the event of the Halloween season… “Trick or Treat on Mainstreet”.

For more information on the Dumb Friends League, visit ddfl.org or call (303) 751-5772