Howloween is approaching, and that means…a lot of things. If you live in a neighborhood in the Ann Arbor or Chelsea areas, you could experience an onslaught of trick-or-treaters from as early as 4:30 to as late as 10:00. Hopefully somewhere in the middle you get to experience Halloween just the way you want to, whether it’s handing out candy, scaring the scaries, escorting your ghouls around, or some other fiendishly clever way to spend the night that we haven’t thought of.
If you haven’t checked out our most recent PUPDATE on Halloween Costumes for Pets in Ann Arbor and Chelsea, then you can do that HERE. Your local Wags to Wiskers Pet Supplies stores in Ann Arbor (2270 W. Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103) or Chelsea (1192 S. Main St, Chelsea, MI, 48118) have a plethora of options to dress up Sparky, including but not limited to shark outfits, fairy costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and lion’s manes. Make sure you’re tuned into our social channels to stay up to date on all of this stuff!
Halloween Pet Safety Tips
We’ve got some Halloween Pet Safety Tips for you to ensure that despite your terrifying endeavors and your nasty tricks, Sparky stays safe and sound and ends the night cuddled up sleeping soundly in your home. Keep in mind that while Halloween can be a lot of fun for us humans, it can be pretty scary and even traumatizing for pets. Check out these Halloween pet safety tips:
Don’t leave your pets out!
Unfortunately, there are a lot of stories of bad folks that have teased, injured, stolen, or done even worse to pets on Halloween night. Beyond the dangers of humans out and about, it’s worth noting the obvious that human candies are not safe for pets and chocolate in particular is poisonous for many.
Separate the pets from the pumpkins!
Lit jack-o-lanterns can be a fire hazard if clumsy or curious pets get a little too interested. Kittens especially are a high risk of being burned, and any big pumpkins can be a nasty place for small pets to fall into.
Costumes are great! Unless they aren’t!
If your dog clearly hates the costume you got them, don’t make them wear it. If they love it, then make sure you show them off a little. But if it’s going to stress out, constrict, or annoy your pet, maybe they’d be happier with just a Halloween-themed bandana! Furthermore, any costume that might obstruct your pets vision is a bad idea. Even super nice dogs can get angry for a moment when they can’t see all of the commotion around them!
Trick-or-Treat times are tough
Even the most social dogs should be kept separated from the common areas during trick-or-treating times. Lots of doorbell ringing, knocking, people with masks on, and all-around activity is sure to get your dog’s heart pumping.
Things can be scary and overwhelming and time and the last thing you want is a protective dog acting protective to some 9 year old vampries. The second to last thing you want is your dog or cat darting out through the open door, so beware of that as well.
Even cats should have collars and tags!
Last, but not least…
Always have ID! Make sure your dogs and cats are at minimum wearing collars with identification, and if possible get them microchipped if they aren’t already. If you need some resources getting microchipped in Ann Arbor or Chelsea, ask a staff member at your local Wags to Wiskers Pet Supplies store.
Conclusion
There are lots of ways to have fun on Halloween, and lots of ways for it to get derailed into something really scary and not fun. These Halloween Pet Safety Tips are meant to prevent the latter and promote the former! Hope to see you at your local Wags to Wiskers Pet Supplies store in Ann Arbor or Chelsea soon! Bonus treats if you bring in your dog dressed up!