Planning ahead can be important step in making sure Halloween is not a scary time for your pet. 

Kappy Hodges with the Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter said some important things to do to help prepare your pet for Halloween include keeping candy out of reach and making a plan for when trick-or-treaters are at the door.

“Little kids want to pet the doggies and some of the dogs are a little frightened of the kids so that’s maybe not the best time for them to be reaching out and leaning over to touch your dog,” Hodges said. “So I always recommend that on Halloween maybe you keep the dogs in a back room or sometimes you have baby gates that you can put up in doorways to keep them in the living room back away… so they can’t come running out accidentally and escape.”

Hodges said, if they don’t have one yet, it’s a good idea to make sure your pet has a collar with a tag that has your phone number on it or to consider getting a microchip for your pet in case they get lost.

Hodges said another safety tip on Halloween is to make sure candy is out of reach of your pets. 

“Chocolate is toxic to both cats and dogs so you want to keep them away from that and, just like with people, too much sugar isn’t really good for them either, so it’s a good idea to keep your candy up high or, in the case of cats, perhaps in a closet,” Hodges said. “Go ahead and keep that stored away until the night when you’re going to be handing it out.”

For more information on upcoming animal shelter events including the Fall Rabies Clinic from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4, at the St. Joseph Civic Arena, visit the Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter Facebook page.