One of the most important safety rules to follow on Halloween is the buddy system. Always pair up with at least one person and stick with that person at all times, especially when trick or treating. This ensures that no one gets lost or left behind. This helpful system can also be used to make sure your pets have a safe and Happy Halloween. In these photos Sadie is posing with her Halloween buddy. Although Sadie and her buddy will not go out trick or treating together, they will both hang out with me on the front porch to give out the candy.

Halloween can be a scary time for children and pets alike. There are so many strange sights and sounds and smells. There are costumes and candy everywhere and doorbells ringing constantly. All of these factors add up to a stressful holiday for cats and dogs. Your pets may try to hide, run out the front door, bark obsessively, steal candy, etc. This is when the buddy system comes in handy. Assign a friend, family member, or even yourself the job of being the animal buddy. That person must know where the pets are at all times, making sure all animals are safe and accounted for. For example, when the doorbell rings, the animal buddy can grab the dog or cat to make sure no one escapes through the open door or takes some dropped candy. If you don’t want to miss out on all of the Halloween fun, you can take turns being animal buddy throughout the festivities.

A trick or treat buddy is absolutely necessary if you will be taking your dog out with you on Halloween. Someone must hold the dog’s leash at all times to keep your pet safe. You never know when a costume or decoration will scare your dog or maybe some excited children will run by and your dog will want to chase them. There may be candy on the ground that you may not notice in the dark, but your dog probably will. If your dog has a buddy, that person will notice your dog’s interest in the candy and can keep your dog away. If no one is really paying attention to your dog, it takes only a second for your dog to chow down on that candy.

Unfortunately it’s also a concern that your pet could bite or scratch someone on Halloween if not watched carefully. You may have the most friendly pet on the planet that loves all babies, children and adults. But it’s entirely possible that your friendly pet may not feel friendly towards a vampire or a skeleton or a witch. People tend to speak differently in costume and may even smell differently because of heavy makeup, causing confusion and possibly fear in your pet. If your pet has a buddy, he or she can watch your pet’s reaction and remove your pet from the situation if it’s causing too much anxiety.

So if you want your pets to join in on the Halloween fun, I suggest trying out the buddy system and hopefully everyone will have a safe and Happy Halloween!

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

  This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

Sadie is having trouble deciding what to be for Halloween this year and it’s all my fault. You see, last year I went a little crazy with the after-Halloween clearance sales. I basically bought one of everything. In my defense, how can you resist all the cute little doggie dresses and hats and costumes when everything was under $5? Maybe we really didn’t need that monkey with the cymbals that rides your dog’s back or three different types of wings (angel, ladybug, and butterfly), but you never know when something might come in handy. In the meantime, Sadie keeps trying on various outfits every day, which makes for a lot of adorable photo sessions. During yesterday’s photo shoot I tried to explain to Sadie that people normally wear one hat at a time, but she insisted on wearing four.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.