Pet Safety Tips for a Happy and Safe Halloween
LA Animal Services Media Contacts:
Agnes Sibal-von Debschitz, (213) 482-9512 or agnes.sibal@lacity.org
Justin Khosrowabadi, (213) 482-9551 or justin.khosrowabadi@lacity.org
Pet Safety Tips for a Happy and Safe Halloween
Los Angeles, October 31, 2020 – Angelenos of all ages look forward to Halloween even though it will be celebrated differently this year. Some aspects of Halloween festivities, however, can be considered dangerous for our animal companions, and even normally mellow pets can be spooked by strange sounds, sights, and people in costumes.
To help keep your four-legged friends safe on the spookiest night of the year, LA Animal Services is offering the following safety tips:
- Keep pets indoors and create a calming environment for your furry family member. Pets can become frightened by loud sounds, causing them to panic, slip out, and escape their homes. Creating a calm and quiet environment for your pet can help reduce your pet’s anxiety.
- Ensure your pet is licensed and microchipped with up-to-date identification. If for any reason your pet becomes lost, ensuring they have a collar with a current license and/or ID tag on them and a microchip that’s registered with your most up-to-date contact information, will help reunite you with your companion animal.
- No sweets for your four-legged sweetie. Chocolate and other seemingly harmless candy can be poisonous to dogs and cats. Keep candy where pets can’t get to them and throw wrappers away in the trash. Also, remember that children may not understand why pets can’t share their treats, so use this as a teaching opportunity.
- Be careful around Jack-o’-lanterns. Tail wagging is a good thing – unless it’s done around a lit candle! Keep candles and candle-lit carved pumpkins at an appropriate height where your pets can’t knock them over or get burned.
- Not all pets enjoy dressing up. A decorative collar is far more comfortable than a costume for your pet. Make sure your pet thinks a costume is as much fun as you do before you dress them up. If you do put your pet in a costume, try it on to make sure they are comfortable, and ensure it will not get wrapped around his or her neck causing choking or get tangled around their legs.
- Keep glow sticks out of reach. Glow sticks can help keep children safe, but should be kept out of reach from your pets. The liquid inside glow sticks are non-toxic, but it can agitate your pet and in some cases, cause your pet to get sick.
- Don’t leave your pets in a hot car. A car can overheat, even when the window has been opened slightly. Even if the temperature isn’t too hot outside, your car can get up to 20 degrees warmer. Always check to make sure that dogs are welcome where you are going, otherwise leave them at home.
For more information about LA Animal Services and how to keep your pets safe, visit laanimalservices.com.
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Los Angeles Department of Animal Services is one of the largest municipal shelter systems in the United States with six services centers serving approximately 60,000 animals annually and responding to 20,000 emergency calls involving an animal or person in danger. LA Animal Services promotes and protects the health, safety, and welfare of animals and people. LA Animal Services also is part of the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) national coalition as a Tier 1 animal organization offering pet owners with access to resources to keep their pets home; helping to get lost pets home quickly without having to enter the shelter system; providing food and medical assistance; and continuing to build on a strong foster program to house more pets in foster homes. Visit our link.tree for helpful links to the services and resources available to you and your companion animals. Connect with LA Animal Services and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
