PETS CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN

I am normally not one for dressing up my dog, Brioreo. She doesn’t really like getting dressed up either. But my wife Kylie loves to dress Bri up, just like she has with every pet we have had together. And while Kylie doesn’t like dressing pets up on a normal day, she does tend to go a little over the top on holidays. Then there are those pet parents who love to get their furrever one all gussied up on the daily. Okay, to be honest, there are also those who like to dress in matching outfits with their dogs every day! But for Halloween, I will always make an exception in getting our girl trick or treat ready!

Dressing a pet for a special occasion or holiday can be fun. There are many choices out there. Much of it depends on what you, as the pet parent, want. For Halloween, I have seen everything from pop culture references like a dog dressed as R2D2 from Star Wars and a cat dressed as the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of OZ to even politically themed costumes like a dog dressed as President Ronald Reagan to a Dachshund dressed as a hot dog.

SAFETY FIRST
But please remember that there are pitfalls to dressing up your pet. You need to pay extra attention to the parts of the costume that may be loose, frayed or designed as an accessory. Those pieces often end up getting chewed on by your pet, and parts of the costume can come off, ending up in their mouths, or stuck in their throats. So, when you are choosing a costume, please make sure you take into consideration of all aspects of that costume to ensure your furrever one’s safety. 

This year’s hottest costume choices, from what we can see this far away from Halloween, seem to be Taylor Swift, a Postal Worker, a Witch, a UPS delivery person and former President Donald Trump. However, in this politically charged and tense climate, we suggest going with something a little more standard or middle of the road. The last thing you want is to end up in a political argument with someone on the street, or even in your building. Therefore, more standard ideas of a ladybug, a witch, a pumpkin, a pirate, or a ghost are probably a better choice, especially when trick or treating in New York City. 

SAVVY TIPS
And just a couple of tips to ensure your furrever one has a safe, happy and healthy Halloween night out with you:

• Ensure you have a water bottle and portable/collapsible water bowl to keep your pet hydrated.
• If your children are out with you, make sure that any candy they received during trick or treating is not accessible to your furrever one. Remember that chocolate is deadly to dogs.
• If it is raining, or snowing (it happens every once in a while, on Halloween), make sure you have ample paw wipes and/or booties to keep their paws dry and clean.
• When you get home from your Halloween adventure with your furrever one, make sure to wipe them down with wipes, and to dry their paws. Often children will spill chocolate, or liquids from soda and the like when they are out with their friends (they are kids after all). Your pet has undoubtedly walked through some of this, and you want to be sure that they don’t track it back into your home.  

Most of all, remember that Halloween is fun and if you are bringing your furrever one along for trick or treating, you just need to take a couple of extra steps to ensure their safety and well-being.  

Have fun!