JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) – Halloween is right around the corner, and now is a good time to begin thinking about safety for our furry friends during the Halloween season.
While some pets may enjoy greeting visitors, others may find the season stressful, and some aspects of the holiday can be downright dangerous to pets.
“Don’t let pets get into the candy,” Margo Stefanic, Primary Animal Caretaker at Willow Run Sanctuary, told exploreJeffersonPA.com.
“If you have Trick-or-Treaters coming to the door, people with masks and costumes, that can be foreign and frightening to dogs, so keep them from greeting people at the door,” Stefanic added.
The ASPCA recommends that if you suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, you should call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 immediately.
The risk of pets munching on things they shouldn’t extends beyond just the candy, though.
According to Debbie Stephens, board member and secretary at Tri-County Animal Rescue Center, everything from corn cobs and decorative cobwebs to glow sticks can cause serious health problems if an animal decides to take a taste.
The ASPCA recommends that all but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room away from the front door during trick-or-treating times, and while opening the door for people, it is best to be very careful that your dog or cat doesn’t dart outside. Keeping proper identification on pets is also recommended this time of year so that an animal does escape, their owner can be located.
Costumes on pets can also pose a danger.
“Watch for small pieces, things they could bite off and swallow, especially if it’s something that’s not a specific pet-safe costume,” Stephens said.
“Also, check for things they could get tangled on or trip on.”
One other danger that some people may not consider is actually the danger of fire from pets playing with jack-o-lanterns.
“Use the battery operated tea lights instead of candles, especially anywhere a pet could get to them. Otherwise, you could end up with a fire.”
Stephens noted that she was aware of at least one case, a number of years ago, of a dog knocking over a candle-lit jack-o-lantern and causing a fairly serious fire.
“The ended up with significant damage, and the dog and the person trying to get the dog away were both injured. It’s just not worth the risk when you can buy the battery-operated lights.”
Another issue that often comes up around Halloween is the issue surrounding black cats. From symbolism to superstition to urban legends of animal cruelty, black cats are almost synonymous with the holiday, leaving them in an interesting place.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, shelters and rescues all over the U.S. make statements each year saying they will not adopt out any black cats during October due to fears of the animals being used as costume accessories or, far worse, as the victims of Halloween pranks or even ritual sacrifices.
The organization notes that while terrible cruelty cases, like animal sacrifice, can happen, these incidents are actually very rare, and it is unlikely that people willing to take the time to go through a shelter’s adoption process with that motive in mind.
According to Stefanic, while Willow Run Sanctuary doesn’t have a specific rule about adopting out black cats in October, she would be mostly likely try to avoid doing so.
“It may seem superstitious, but we say to hold back on that until after Halloween,” she noted.
“People do abuse them badly sometimes, so it’s probably just a good idea not to put black cats up for adoption in October. We do have a lot of them here, and they always seem to go last, though I don’t know why, but we would just be very cautious about that.”
“We just hope everyone, including the animals, stays safe.”
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