I am obviously not looking in the right places, because I know there must be dogs and cats that strut their stuff in those pet costumes we pet owners buy at the costume store. I just know it - so, if your dog or cat is one of those dress-up divas, please share. Over at PetCentric, they have this photo on their Facebook page, and I have to admit that it is adorable.
Meanwhile, let's talk about how to at least make sure the pets are SAFE in their costumes, and SAFE while celebrating the scary, spooky Halloween night.
Dr. Bill, Chief Medical and Underwriting Director of PurinaCare® Pet Health Insurance, created some tips for pet owners, and I wrote about it on the PurinaCare blog. Hop over and see what he has to say. HINT: keep candy away, keep candles away, and be sensitive to pets that don't like all that stress of ringing doorbells and strange kids showing up all night.
I also found this great article at The Seattle Times,"Safety tips for pets wearing Halloween costumes." I'll share a few here and invite you to read the entire article at the link I've provided in the title of the article.
First: make sure your pet is not constrained by the costume. Keep the costume loose enough that the pet's movements do not cause her to trip or otherwise be unable to move as she usually does.
Also, "Inspect your pet's costume and make sure it doesn't have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he or she could choke on."
And, the last bit of advice, which I think is almost the most important piece of advice, "A pet should always wear an identification tag." Why? Well, we know some of our pets are just waiting for that one second we aren't watching - and that's when they are going to scoot out that open door, and head for the hills!
Have a safe, happy Halloween, and if you include your pets in the dress-up fun, check out Dr. Bill's advice and the advice from the Seattle Times article (courtesy of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
