Halloween Pet Safety: Tips For Homes With Anxious Dogs

Halloween night can be a lot of fun and excitement for many humans & their pets. In some homes though, the constant doorbell ringing & shouting of enthusiastic trick-or-treaters while running from house to house can be overwhelming & scary for older or anxious pets. Making similar preparations & taking precautions the same way you would for other holidays, like July 4th, can help keep your pets safe during the flurry of activity on Halloween night.

Use this checklist of Halloween pet safety tips to get your home & pet ready before the trick-or-treaters arrive. If you're feeling especially worried about your pet's anxiety, we’ve created a friendly note template that you can copy & place on your door with a bowl of candy nearby to minimize doorbell rings. Keep scrolling to see the note! 🎃

Halloween Pet Safety Checklist

• If you plan on opening the door to trick or treaters, keep your dog in an enclosed space where they can relax and won't be able to run outside when the door opens.
• Have one or two nearby emergency vet numbers saved in your phone in case of accidental chocolate ingestion or other emergencies.
• Check your pet’s microchip info to make sure it’s up to date with accurate addresses, phone numbers, and emergency contacts.
• If you live on a street that welcomes a lot of trick-or-treaters or hosts a block party, use white noise or turn on the TV to help drown out the outside stressors. Our list of Hallowen movies you can watch with your pet would be perfect for this!
• Give your dog CBD or use other calming techniques to ease your pet’s anxiety like you would on July 4th.
  Make sure your home security cameras & alarms are working.
• If you want to prevent doorbell rings on Halloween night, use our friendly door note template below!

Halloween Night Door Note for Homes With Anxious Pets

Hi Friends!

We would love to see your costumes in person, but we have a very good dog inside named (your dog’s name) who’s sometimes anxious and gets extra stressed by the doorbell ringing. (dog’s name) says thank you for not spooking (him/her) by ringing the doorbell & (he/she) would be happy to have a few belly rubs from you any other time!

🍭 Please take a few pieces of candy from the bowl and have a safe & fun Halloween!