Trick or Treat - not for pets - Halloween Safety Tips

OHS foster puppies

It’s Halloween time again. You know how to keep your little trick-or-treaters safe. What about your pets?  Here are some suggestions from the Oregon Humane Society:

• Secure your pet in another part of the house. Keeping your dog or cat away from the front door is the best way to ensure that they will not get out at all.
• Costumes are for humans – avoid dressing your pet up. In fact, the only thing he should be wearing is a collar with an identification tag. However, we understand costumes are cute. Please make sure your pet's nose, eyes, and mouth are not covered and that he/she can move normally while in the costume. Take the photos, have a smile and a laugh, and then remove the costume. If your pet becomes agitated or distressed, please remove the costume right away.
• Sharing Halloween candy with siblings and mom or dad is a good thing – not with the dog. Chocolate can be very toxic!
• With a frequently opened door, keep pets secure so they don’t end up leaving with a band of trick-or-treaters.
• Cats, especially black, will do better if kept inside all night long, due to poor visibility and increased traffic with party goers.
• Watch that any open flames (like candles or jack-o-lanterns) are out of reach (by pets and kids).

Up to and through Halloween, the Oregon Humane Society will be adopting out black cats, black dogs, and even black rats (along with all the other color mixes pets come in). OHS Humane Investigators assure us that there are no problems for black cats during this time of year and OHS’s adoption procedures and policies are in place to make sure all animals go to loving families.