While people may enjoy the fun and sometimes frightening celebrations that happen on Halloween, it can be an especially scary time for pets. To keep your pets safe during Halloween, please keep in mind the following precautions.
The loud noises that come with costume parties, decorations, fireworks and strangers knocking at your door can cause your pets to feel nervous and afraid; after all, animals experience the world through heightened senses.
Animals can also very easily become frightened or agitated by the sights and sounds of strangers at your door. During parities, having guests streaming in and out of your home puts your pet at risk of running away or escaping. Keeping your pets in a quiet place, either a kennel or a closed off room during parties and trick-or-treating can make them feel safe and relaxed during the commotion.
The City of Vancouver also encourages dog owners to leave their animals at home, with friends or at a doggy daycare when going out trick-or-treating. The chaos and confusion puts your pets at risk of running away, getting lost, or worse, being injured by vehicle or pedestrian traffic.
Be sure all pets are wearing collars and ID tags in case they get away. If lost, it’s very difficult for Animal Services to find an owner without proper identification or an animal license. In fact, 97 per cent of dogs that are licensed and wearing tags are returned to their owner.
If your pet is lost please call 3-1-1 and report the details right away. For information on licensing your dog, visit: http://vancouver.ca/home-
Feature Image: Scared pup via shutterstock
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