This Halloween Spare Your Pet The Spooks [AUDIO]

Halloween can be a fun  and lively time for children and adults. It is important for pet owners  to remember that the holiday can be more scary than amusing for your  pets. Humane Society of Western Montana’s Director Laura O’ Connor recommends these tips during the spooky season…

• 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. While many pet owners know that chocolate can be bad for their animals, xylitol – a sweetener used in candy and gum - can be toxic to them too.
• 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.

 (My interview with O' Conner is attached below)