Blog: How to Help Prevent Losing Your Pet on Halloween

Halloween is full of spooky fun and treats for people, but not so much for our pets! Halloween is the second most common holiday for missing pets after 4th of July. With this in mind, PetLink has put together some tips on how to prevent your pet from becoming lost this Halloween season.

Check (or register!) that chip!

• If your pet is microchipped, login to PetLink and make sure all your pet’s information and your own contact information is up to date. This will be essential if your pet does become lost and you need to be contacted immediately.
• If your pet is microchipped but not registered in an online database, you’ve come to the right place! You can register any type of microchip into the PetLink database. After you pay a one-time fee, your pet will be protected for life. Should your lost pet be found and scanned by an animal professional, your information will be retrieved and PetLink will reunite you with your pet quickly. To register a pet, simply click here.
• If your pet is not microchipped, please ask your vet to chip them the next time you take your pet for a wellness visit, or ensure you make a special trip to get them microchipped and registered before Halloween.

Educate children on a pet-friendly Halloween

First and foremost, educate any children in your pet’s vicinity about the importance of not intentionally scaring pets during Halloween. Startling pets with Halloween pranks will make them more prone to anxiety, biting, and/or running away. Save the scares for the people, not the animals!

Important! Remind your children to never share their Halloween treats with pets. Chocolate and other sweets can make pets critically ill, so it’s best to make sure that candy stays far away from them.

For further help on this subject, Pet Poison Helpline’s phone number is 1-855-764-7661.

Reflective gear for autumn hours

Now that the days are getting shorter, you may consider getting your pet a reflective collar for nighttime walks. We have personalized reflective collars on the PetLink Store for both cats and dogs that are perfect for the Halloween season. Additionally, we recommend harnesses for dogs. PetLink’s No-Pull Harnesses have a reflective chest strap and also include the PetLink Customer Service number, so anyone who finds them will be able to call PetLink for assistance.

A personalized collar tag is always great to have because visual ID helps a finder know, at a glance, that your pet is microchipped with PetLink.

Please note: You must be registered with PetLink to order our personalized pet gear.

Keep pets on a leash when outside or keep them inside during Halloween night

For the entire month of October, some folks put out Halloween animatronics on their lawns. Animatronics can be triggered by movement, which is an easy scare that can have your pets running for cover. It’s best that (all year, but especially this time of year) you keep your dogs on a leash while walking, and bring cats inside when the evenings get darker earlier.

On Halloween night, make sure to walk your dog earlier in the day if possible, avoiding any large crowds, noise, and the consequences of unwanted stress. For cats, it’s best to keep them inside for that day (no matter how much they complain!). When trick-or-treaters start coming around, keep your pets away from the front door or create a barrier to deter them. Our blog from National Lost Pet Prevention Month has additional tips for preventing lost pets through open doors and windows.

We hope you have a safe, happy, and fun Halloween season!