Tips for Keeping Your Dog Safe on Halloween and a #Giveaway

Halloween is known for being a frightfully fun holiday, when all our fears come to life in a way that’s enjoyable with just a hint of the unknown. While most people enjoy Halloween, most dogs find it stressful. The noises, costumes, and decorations are out of the ordinary, and your dog can’t tell what’s fake and what’s a real danger. With a little precaution and common sense, you can make Halloween safe and less stressful for your dog. From using the best dog fence to keep them contained, and keeping the candy bowl out-of-reach, here are some tips for keeping your dog safe during Halloween festivities.

Don’t Leave Your Dog Outside

Never leave your dog outside alone during trick-or-treat hours, because the hustle and bustle may cause them to try and escape. Even the best invisible dog fence or traditional fence can be breached when a dog is determined enough, so don’t take any chances. If you have an electronic dog fence, it won’t keep people out, and unfortunately real bogeymen sometimes use Halloween as an opportunity to steal dogs from yards. Your best bet is to keep your dog indoors - in a locked room or a crate - so they can’t get out of the house when you open the front door for trick-or-treaters. This will help reduce their stress level, too.

Trick-or-Treat Carefully

If you choose to bring your dog trick-or-treating with you, do so with caution. If you’re unsure of how your dog will react to costumed children, keep them at a safe distance and don’t allow strangers to pet your dog. If it’s after sundown, make sure you use an LED or reflective leash, collar, or harness, so that your dog is visible to cars on the road. Do not remove your dog’s collar or ID tags, and make sure your contact information is up-to-date, just in case. If you’re concerned about how your dog will handle trick-or-treating, the safest bet is to leave them home.

Be Conscious of Costume Hazards

Dog costumes can be a lot of fun, but they can also restrict breathing, movement, or circulation if they don’t fit properly. Try your dog’s costume on several times before they wear it for a longer period of time, so they have a chance to get used to it, and you can observe them for any concerns. If you use an e-collar for a wired dog fence and you remove it, don’t let your dog outside without a leash, no matter how well-trained they are. Accessories like buttons or baubles can be choking hazards, so avoid costumes that have them.

Keep the Candy Bowl Out-of-Reach

Chocolate and the sugar substitute xylitol are toxic to dogs, so be very careful with candy in your home. If you utilize an indoor wireless dog fence or pet barrier, keep the candy and your dog on opposite sides. Otherwise, keep the candy high enough so it’s out of your dog’s reach, and make sure your children do the same with their treat bags. If you’d like your dog to enjoy a sweet treat, purchase new dog treats for them before Halloween night. As always, keep your vet’s number handy so you can call them if your dog ingests candy and gets sick or starts acting strangely.

Decorate with Care

Pumpkins, corn, hay, and other edible decorations may not be poisonous to dogs, but they can still present hazards. Dogs often want to eat pumpkins, and large pieces can lodge in their intestines and cause blockages. Keep pumpkins and other appealing decorations away from your dog, so the dog doesn't choke or become sick. Ensure that lit candles aren’t in a place that your dog could accidentally knock them over. If any of your decorations plug in, make sure electrical wires are hidden or covered, so that you dog can’t chew on them and be shocked.

No matter how you decide to celebrate Halloween this year, keep your dog’s health and happiness in mind, too. Dogs are often confused and concerned by the hustle and bustle of holidays, so giving them a little extra love and attention is a great idea, too. With precaution and care, you and your dog will have a safe holiday with no unexpected frights - only fun. Have a Happy Halloween!

This is a paid sponsored post by www.dogfencediy.com 

These Halloween safety tips were provided in partnership with www.dogfencediy.com;

Dog Fence DIY offers an affordable alternative to the pricey and hard to maintain invisible fences. A wired or wireless dog fence solution is not a fix-it-all and should be used in tandem with training to make sure your dog is safe and happy.  Questions or concerns about Dog Fence DIY?  Let me know and I'll put you in touch with their reps who are happy to answer.

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52 Snapshots of Life; Week 43: Pumpkin

I didn't realize there was a PUMPKIN topic in the 52 Snapshots challenge, otherwise I may have thought twice about posting photos of the pumpkin that got eaten two weeks ago in the ANIMAL post.  

Alternatively, I suppose I could have just re-posted the same photos here, out of sheer laziness.

Like this.

But then, I was putzing around the house, moving around my knick-knacks.  One of my collections, other than my glass animal collection, of course, is blue glass.  People give me blue glass things all the time, and one friend gave me these two blue glass "globes" (or so I thought).  I was carrying them around the house the other day, when I actually looked at them for the first time, and realized they are...  (cue the music!).... PUMPKINS.  Blue, glass pumpkins.  Who knew?

And then, the rains came.  I wanted to set them up in a window, with sun shining through for this week's snapshot.  Alas, no sun for many days.

Late this afternoon, the skies cleared for a very brief moment, and I grabbed the opportunity.

When the light hits a different way, there is actually an extra layer of metallic gloss on the outside.
You can spot the photographer (me) reflected in the middle, and then, creepily,
it looks like there is a man standing behind me to one side!

52 Snapshots of Life is a photo challenge blog hop, hosted by our pals at the Lazy Pit Bull.

52 Snapshots of Life; Week 42: World

I live in a 5-mile world.  No, I really do!  My house is 3.9 miles from my office; and both the house and office are about four or five miles from grocery stores and other stores.  I did have my doctor's office in town as well, but I started to think that was a bit too "small town-y", and therefore recently expanded my "world" to a nearby city for my medical appointments!

Regularly, the hounds and I expand our world another 130 miles, or so, and head to Cape Cod.

At this time of year, the beach at the National Seashore does really weird things.  Small pools of water and large rock formations are revealed, that aren't seen in the summertime.  It is so strange to see a humongous rock in the middle of the beach, where you sat, all summer, not knowing it was underneath you!

I went for a beach walk this past weekend to take some shots of the autumnly-transformed beach, and I found this piece of driftwood!  (No, I didn't write on it, the writing was already there.)

Where Am I?

Kinda perfect for this week's 52 Snapshots* topic, "World", wouldn't you say?
You can view the rest of the photos from my beach walk on my Facebook page.

*52 Snapshots of Life is hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull, and there are only 10 weeks left!

52 Snapshots of Life; Week 41: Animal

I set out today to take some photos of an animal OTHER than a dog or cat for this week's 52 Snapshots challenge; topic: ANIMAL

The only "animal" I found on my walk was a FISH:

There was a really large banjo catfish nearby, but he skee-daddled when I moved :(
So, I got this kivver instead.

"But wait," I thought, "That's not exactly an ANIMAL."

No squirrels in sight?  Not a one.  No skunks, possum, deer or bunnies, either.

Then, I got a little help from a rather unlikely source.  

I decided to stop at the cemetery to visit G's grave, where I had recently put mums and pumpkins.  I wanted to see how they were doing after last night's monsoon rain.

The mums are great. 

The pumpkins?  Not so much!  An ANIMAL apparently had decided to make breakfast, lunch and dinner of them!

And that, is how, I got a slightly different idea for the topic: ANIMAL.

The mums look great, but here's all that's left of three pumpkins

Pumpkin seeds!

Expanded view:  ANIMAL with TEETH!

Looks like the ANIMAL had a PARTY!

Special thanks to my beloved, G for leading me to the ANIMAL; and to our blog hop hosts at The Lazy Pit Bull.

52 Snapshots of Life; Week 40: Framed

Week FORTY??!  That means there are only twelve posts remaining in this themed photo-blogging challenge, 52 Snapshots of life, hosted by our buddies at The Lazy Pit Bull.  How the heck did that happen?  A whole year (almost) gone by.  Phew.  So many photos, so little time.

This week's theme is FRAMED.

Here is a picture from a couple years ago.  I was spying on Charlie, while he was outside, from inside the house.  The windows are six-over-six sash windows, and I used one of the six squares to frame the dog.  The window was dirty, and the window screen took most of the focus of the picture.  It was a cute idea, but not the best quality photograph I've ever taken!