Pets and Halloween

[Catherine]

I am already noticing costumes and there is candy on sale everywhere.
This is a good time to thing about how to keep pets safe. We have special patrols to watch for the children, why wouldn't we think about protecting our pets.
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/pets/Ha...story.html

I don't mind a pet in a costume, but putting a big dog in a fluffy pink tutu is undignified. I think we should show our pets a little respect.
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/halloween-cos...s/29222864
Simple costumes are best and off course treats just for the pet, that are safe for the pet. I love it when she eats the dog treat on live television. The newscaster is completely surprized and almost speechless.
Have you eaten dog treats? I know I have.

[Tobi]

Good advice and tips. Fireworks are dangerous, and very scary and much too noisy for animals. It's wise not to have fireworks if there's an animal about. Horses especially, are extremely upset by them, even at a distance. It's always polite, before holding a fireworks party to go through the neighbourhood, tell them what time the party will start, how long it will last,and check if anybody minds, or has animals who are scared.

Costumes.....haha.....I am a member of a dogs forum, and have been one of the Community leaders there for years. A few years ago they asked me to organise a Halloween 'photo-shoot' thing, where anyone who wants to can take a photo of their pet in a costume, and there was to be a gallery of the pictures as a special feature.
OH BOY! I did not want to do it! It was not in tune with Misty's ethics! Eventually I thought "Oh never mind....what's the harm in it?" And that I should show willing as I'd been asked to do it specially.
So at the last minute (almost) I made Misty an "Angel" costume. It was light-weight, and no problem for her to wear. But of course once I got her outside on the grass to take the pic, her tail went down because I asked her to stay still. All she wanted was to go play frisbee in the field. She stayed very still with a sad expression and her tail down, and I took the pic in 2 minutes flat, then took the costume off her, dumped it on the grass, and we ran to the field where she was very happy!
I thought "Never again!"
I never made her wear things unless it was cold and she needed a coat. Or after her surgery when she wore a T shirt instead of a "lampshade" to stop her licking her scar. She didn't mind that!

(Dog-Trotting Angel Wearing Costume! LOL!)
   

[Catherine]

The costume is good and Misty certainly was an angel. However not all dogs like costumes. They need coats and sweaters in some places(like Canada in the winter), but I feel sad for a dog in an embarrassing costume.

I am sure Halloween could be adapted to be dog fun, but for the most part it is a people event. If it is warm enough I take a reptile outside with me(bearded dragon usually) when I give out candy.

When I was a kid, the neighbour's dog went with us, door to door. Somewhere along the way she got a whole loaf of bread. She didn't eat it, but she carried it the whole night, in her mouth. It looked very funny, a group of kids in costumes and a dog with a loaf of bread.

[Tobi]

Haha! That really made me laugh. A bunch of kids trick-or-treating, plus a dog carrying a loaf of bread! LOL

I think many dogs would enjoy the 'party' atmosphere so long as they were included, and having a nice time all along the way -and so long as there weren't any loud fireworks, or people getting drunk.....and no dangerous food like sweets or chocolate given to the dog!
But I know that dogs do not really enjoy wearing costumes. They put up with it for our sake but they don't see it like humans do. It means nothing to them to be dressed up like a vampire or a witch, all they know is something's dragging on their head or back.....

[Catherine]

We were out in the country and we did not have fireworks so it was a quiet enough evening. I was surprized when I got to Toronto and found out how rowdy people could be for Halloween.

It is definitely not a dog friendly holiday.