Halloween is probably the very best holiday at the Embrace Pet Insurance offices. Both staff and our furry friends dress up and celebrate. Below check out photos from Halloween 2011 at the Embrace office while you read up on creating the best Halloween experience for your favorite furry little monsters.
Our friend, Sarah Sypniewski, is one half of the fabulous team at Bark Pet Photography and Ninja Dog Concepts. She has some great suggestions for a spook-tacular Halloween:
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The holidays are bearing down, with Halloween leading the way. Before the months of festivities begin, it’s a good idea to think about how your pet would best enjoy them. Not sure if (and how) Fluffy wants to be included in your parties and events? This handy guide will help you figure out just what to do with your pet so you all can have a “purrfect Howloween.”
DRESSING FOR THE
OCCASION
Does your pet like dressing up? Start thinking about a fun “couples” costume now! Just remember to keep it safe--make sure the fit isn’t too tight that it cuts off circulation or too loose that it trips your pet up. How about Dorothy and Toto, Santa and a reindeer, hotdog and ketchup, or Little Bo Peep and her sheep? Call some friends over for a small gathering and see which pet-human pair takes the top prize!
If your pet’s into costumes and likes going out on the town, check out your local rescue groups or pet businesses to see if they have any pet-friendly events going on and go strut your stuff! If he’d rather just hang at home, you can still dress up and hand out candy to Trick-or-Treaters together! One word of caution--be careful with that door. Maybe keep a leash on, just for extra safety. If your pet is super anxious about the doorbell or is a big flight risk, it might be best to keep him in a secure room until you’re done passing out candy (although, you better make it up to him later with a special treat!).
GETTING AWAY FROM IT
ALL
What if neither of you want to bother with outfits or Trick-or-Treating? Well, you can “hide” by keeping your porch light off, cranking up the volume on a scary movie, and snuggling up together on the couch. Perhaps you could even pull a recipe for a Halloween pet treat off the Internet to make for your furry friend! And if you really want to become invisible, pack up your fluff ball and hit the road - set out on a daytrip to the local arboretum or apple orchard for some pet-friendly leaf-peeping and fruit-gathering, try a moonlit hike in the evening, or make a true getaway for a few days and explore a resort that welcomes pets and invites you to unplug. A great site I found for this is here.
SPECIAL CONCERNS FOR BLACK CATS
And one more thing--if you’re the parent of a black cat,
you’re on double-duty over Halloween.
It’s terrible, but true: people are cruel, and black cats often fall
victim to pranks and abuse during this time.
Don’t leave your black kitty outside alone in the days--even weeks--on
either side of Halloween. And maybe you
can love on him a little extra, just because you’re extra thankful for such a
handsome, black kitty in your life.
So what are you going to do to make your Halloween spooktacular this year? Post your plans (or pawsome things you’ve done on Halloweens past) in the comment box below--we’d love to hear them! Also, be sure to share this article with other pet-loving friends! Have a safe and happy “howl-o-day”, everyone!
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Sarah Sypniewski (www.sarahsypniewski.com) is a writer and
entrepreneur living in Santa Monica, CA with her partner Kim and a pack of
rescue pooches who like to hog the furniture.
When she’s not hustlin’ like the rent’s due tomorrow (aka running the
businesses she owns with Kim - Bark Pet Photography and NinjaDog Concepts, a
lost pet logistics service), she’s writing all about it. Her blog, Sarah
Leaps, was recognized as Freshly
Pressed by WordPress in August 2011.
Her first book, Dog Photography
For Dummies (Wiley), was released in November 2011 and her articles can be
seen in places like CityDog Magazine, The
Bark, and Pawsh. She’s currently editing a non animal-related
title for Wiley, due out in December 2012.
Despite these credentials, she still can’t seem to get a place on the
couch - and she’d have it no other way.
