Brody’s Tips on Keeping Your Pets Safe This Halloween

It’s the middle of October, and one of my favorite holidays is right around the corner, Halloween! I love when the small humans come to the door. Mom always acts really surprised to see them in their disguises. I especially love when tiny humans dress up like dogs. I know they’re not dogs, but I smell them and bark anyway, just to be polite. They seem excited to see me too. It’s great! ​

Gus, my brother, hates Halloween. He barks and barks at the small humans like they’re real monsters and gets scared. Silly Gus! I suppose for some animals, this can be a stressful time, so I’ve collaborated with my dog brothers, Gus and Oscar, and my cat sister, Peanut, to come up with tips on how to keep pets safe this Halloween!

Candy can make animals sick.
I love treats. Love them! Mom hands out treats for the small monsters to take in their baskets and bags. They seem very happy, like how I feel when I get a treat. Once, I tried to get into the human treat bowl and Mom loudly called me Brody-No (in front of everyone). She said that those treats are poisonous to me! The chocolate can really hurt me but also the wrappers can get stuck in my belly. Sounds like a trick and not a treat. This bowl should be kept somewhere safe and away from pets. If it were easy to reach, I don’t know if I could help myself!

Keep skittish animals confined and away from the door.
For most pets, it’s a good idea to keep them away from the door while handing out treats, and best to keep the pets home on Halloween instead of walking around in the neighborhood. A lot of pets get scared of all the disguises and bark, bite, or run away. I’m a T.D.S.D. (Therapy Dog Show Dog), so I’m an exception. I love being the exception. Proud!

Keep cats (especially black cats) indoors.
Keep cats inside a few days before, during, and a few days after Halloween, just to be safe! Sometimes mean humans will play tricks on animals in the neighborhood, especially black cats. I’m not sure why, but some people mistakenly think black cats are bad luck and will hurt them! My cat sister, Peanut, is a black cat, and she is the luckiest cat I know. I mean, she lives with me, doesn’t she?

Be careful with candles.
Around this time of year, Mom likes to put little fires around the house. Not the outside big kind but the small smelly kind. Mom seems to like them, but to me, they are just weird! These small fires should be kept in high places where they’re out of the way of wagging dog tails and passive aggressive cat behavior, like knocking things off of tables and shelves for no apparent reason. I will need to discuss this further with Peanut to get to the bottom of it...

Supervise pets in costumes.
Since I’m Good-Boy-Brody, I love everything. I don’t even mind wearing outfits! Mom likes to put me in a simple Halloween costume to be “so cute.” Sometimes, I see animals wearing really elaborate or ill-fitting costumes. What a stress! Only animals that like wearing things should wear one, and they should always be supervised just in case they decide to eat part of it or have trouble walking or breathing.

Know the signs of food poisoning.
If your pet is vomiting, has diarrhea, fever, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath, they might have eaten a bad thing! Make sure to call your veterinarian for a their opinion. Treating early is the safest and cheapest way to help a pet that may have been too tempted by the candy bowl.

Do your pets wear costumes? Do you have any funny Halloween pet stories? Let me know in the comments!
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Yours truly,