Doggone Safe is a non-profit organization dedicated to dog bite prevention through education and offer free information at its website: www.doggonesafe.com. Here is their Dog Bite Prevention Tips for Halloween:
Halloween
is lots of fun for kids, but many dogs will be confused or upset by
kids in strange costumes and by lots of people coming to the door, but
never being invited in. Doggone Safe offers the following tips for dog
owners, kids and parents:
Dog owners:
- Secure
your dog behind a closed door or in a crate in a room away from the
front door or the party if children are meeting at your house.
- Give
him a juicy bone from the butcher, a sterilized bone or Kong stuffed
with hotdog, Rollover or other soft dog treats or a pre-stuffed bone
from the pet store.
- Play music or leave a TV or radio playing in the dog’s room to help mask the sounds of the activity at the front door.
- Close drapes so that the dog does not see people coming and going thr
ough the window.
- If
you have a dog that barks at the sound of the doorbell, disconnect it
or watch for trick-or-treaters so that they do not have to ring or
knock.
- Puppies
and dogs that like to chase can get overly excited by costumes with
dangly bits or streaming material. Supervise very carefully if you have a
dog that may try to play with your children’s costumes while they are
wearing them. Teach kids to Be a Tree and stand still if the dog does
start nipping at their costume since the more they move, the more exited
the dog will get.
- Keep
your dogs (and cats) indoors around Halloween time. Pets have been
stolen, injured or poisoned as part of Halloween pranks or other
rituals.
Kids and Parents:
- Avoid
houses if you can hear a dog barking behind the door, you can see a dog
behind a screen door or you see a dog tied up in the yard or barking
behind a fence.
- Never approach any dog, even if you know him. He may not recognize you in your costume.
- If
an owner opens the door and there is a dog there, just stay still and
wait for the dog owner to put the dog away. You can tell them you do not
want to come near the dog. Do not move toward the person and dog. Wait
for them to come to you to give you your candy. Wait for them to close
the door before you turn and leave.
- If
a dog escapes just stand still and Be a Tree (hands folded in front,
watching your feet). He will just sniff you and then move on. Wait for
the owner to come and get the dog before you turn away.
- If you meet a loose dog, Be a Tree and wait until it goes away.
- It
is best to ignore other people’s dogs on Halloween if you meet them out
walking. The dog may be worried about all the strange creatures that
are out and about. Even if you know the dog, he may not recognize you in
your costume.
Doggone Safe and Lend A Paw wishes everyone a safe and happy Halloween!
Click on the link below to download these tips as a PDF handout
