by Sue Burkhard

Halloween is a fun and exciting time for humans, but for our Greyhound family members it can be scary and fraught with danger.  Not just from those frightening goblins and ghosts, but also other unsuspecting hazards lurking about.  Here are some tips to make this howliday a ghostly success instead of a ghastly nightmare.
 
One of the most important things you can do to make this event pass by without mishap is KNOW YOUR DOG.  If your dog is shy, startles easily, or is excitable then it would be best if you kept your dogs exposure to the holiday events to a minimum.  However, if your dog is laid back, calm and very social you might want to include them in some of the milder events. 
 
Times to be particularly cautious would be during any Halloween parties, at parades, if you take your hound trick-or-treating with your kids, and when the little trick-or-treaters come banging on your door. 
 
Remember that dogs don't understand about masks and costumes and lots of screaming kids can be very scary.  By the very nature of the holiday (lets see who we can scare the most) kids will be loud, sneaky, jumpy, and unpredictable.  If your hound will not handle this type of behavior well, it would be better to put them in an interior room away from the noise and commotion. 
 
If your dog is a social butterfly and you want to promote a little greyhound adoption while passing out treats then be  extremely careful when opening up the door. Or better yet, remove the top half of your screen/storm door and pass the candy through the "open window".  This will prevent any accidental escapes.  Remember to lock the screen door so a little goblin on the other side doesn't open it and accidentally let your hound out.  And as always, make sure your hound has a collar and ID tag on just in case.  Also remember to put a padlock (and lock it) on your gate to the yard so no one plays a trick on you and leaves the gate open.
 
Try not to let your dog out in the yard during trick-or-treat hours as he might be tempted to jump on the fence and scare the little ones, or worse jump over it in fear or excitement.  If you have to let your dog out during this time make sure you go out with him and monitor for any problems. 
 
Another risk for your greyhound is burning candles from luminaries, pumpkins, or other decorations.  If your hound gets excited they could knock these over and cause a fire, or burn themselves.  So keep these items away from your hound.
 
Halloween candy treats are hazardous to your hounds for many reasons.  To much chocolate can be poisonous for your hound, and the wrappers that many treats are packaged in can be choking hazards or cause intestinal upset or worse blockage.  We all know how much hounds love to counter surf, make sure treats are kept well out of surfing range. 
 
After all that you might be thinking "Boy, this really is scary, how can we have some safe fun with our hounds?" 
 
Here are a couple of ideas to include your Greyhounds in the holiday safely.  Everyone loves a good costume and if your hound likes to dress up consider a nice Halloween related bandana or martingale style collar with a Halloween theme.  There are many greyhound vendors that sell these items.  And a well dressed hound will cause people to take a second and look and would make a wonderful opportunity to share the joys of owning a greyhound. 
 
Everyone loves treats (isn't that what this holiday is all about, mooching free treats?) so why not bake some Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, or buy a box of doggie treats to pass out to visiting K-9 trick-or-treaters.  You can even bag a couple of them up in a baggie and attach a Greyhound Group business card to it to help promote Greyhound Adoption. 
 
Most importantly don't forget to watch your Hound for signs of stress or discomfort and immediately remove your greyhound from the activity if they appear to be overwhelmed. 

By following these simple tips you can make sure that everyone enjoys this Halloween, including your Greyhound!