Given the year that’s in it, I’m sure many of us will be having a quiet Halloween. However, that’s not an excuse to rest on your laurels. Every Halloween, every year, every decade… Animals always seem to come out the worst on November 1st.

With that in mind, there are signs you can watch for and steps you can take to ensure that the last night of October passes without much fuss!

Fireworks…

Yeah, let’s get the big one out of the way first. Fireworks, for all intents and purposes, are the single greatest stressor for pets on Halloween. Imagine you’re a dog who has no context for Halloween or what fireworks are, now imagine a loud, disembodied BOOM going off outside your crate. You’d be scared too, we bet. But dogs aren’t the only animals affected; horses can spook, rabbits can panic, birds can literally have heart attacks, fish… well, fish aren’t too bothered.

Regardless, now is the time to start putting some thought into how you can mitigate the inevitable; whether you have access to a room with good sound dampening or if you can pad out your animal’s enclosure with noise reducing materials. Any efforts taken now are, put simply, better than doing nothing at all.

Trick or Treaters

Ah yes, the lighter, funnier side of Halloween. No doubt it will be a very distant affair, however it is expected that many children will still want to take part in this long-standing tradition. But, strangers in masks calling to your door at night is more than enough to give your pet a good case of the barks. Along with fireworks, this can lead to a potentially unpleasant situation.

If you’re expecting trick or treaters, we encourage you to keep your pet away from the front door or from wherever you’ll be handing out sweets (socially-distanced, of course). The logic behind a lot of these tips is quite simple, but it’s hard to argue with their effectiveness when put into practice!

Indoor/Outdoor

No debate here. Your pet should be inside on Halloween night. Be it a stable, makeshift hutch, cardboard box, utility room, tiled hallway; get them inside and keep them company. For too long we’ve listened to true horror stories on November 1st, and we don’t mean whatever’s going on in America at the moment.

Whatever it is about Halloween night, certain individuals love to target animals for all sorts of abuse, all in aid of having a laugh. If you see, hear or think that an animal is being hurt or taken advantage of on Halloween night, or at any time of the year for that matter, make a call to your local Garda Station. If circumstances permit, take any stray pets into your home for the night, just until the morning; there’s little else that can be done, as sad as that is to say.

Sweets, Chocolates and Decorations

While a lot of the festivities surrounding Halloween include dressing up and setting off fireworks; chocolates, sweets, crisps and drinks are plentiful too. It is very easy for kids and adults alike to forget that cats and dogs are unable to eat chocolate or sugar-free sweets. Always be aware of the sweets you let fall on the ground as most pets will instantly lick them up or scurry off with them. This is very important as sweets commonly fall to the floor and alcohol is spilled, all of which is toxic to most animals. A quiet back room is normally ideal for this purpose, as long as the animal has plenty of food and water and is regularly checked in on.

We hope these tips will help you and your pets have an especially spooky and safe Halloween this year! Don’t be afraid to get in touch if you have any queries regarding Halloween or are in need of some pet advice. We’re always on call to help!