Help your pet remain safe and happy on Halloween with these tips

It’s Halloween week, and in Russellville, that’s a big deal each year.

With a busy calendar of trunk-or treat events, fall festivals and traditional trick-or-treating, parents will face a busy schedule with lots of options for their families.

For many families, though, Halloween is also celebrated with another family member—their pet.

According to pet trendologist Charlotte Reed, host of the “Pet Buzz,” a syndicated radio show that airs every Sunday at noon locally on WGOL-FM 100.7, Americans will spend just over $13 billion (yes, billion with a B) on Halloween this year. Of that amount, approximately $860 million will be spend on Halloween costumes by pet owners.

As with human costumes, there are certain pet costumes that are all the rage for Halloween 2025, and they share a bit of an old school theme.

“This year, everyone is obsessed with ‘Fright Night,’” Reed said. “Jason from Friday the 13th, Freddy Krueger, killer clowns, this year is all about classic horror movies, including ‘Halloween’ and ‘Nightmare on Elm Street.’”

And there’s no shortage of pet owners who include their four-legged friends as part of their Halloween celebration.

“Dressing pets up for social media photos, going to events for pets, decorating their pets with pet paint in traditional Halloween colors—they’re all popular with pet owners. And this year with 125th anniversary of the book ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,’ don’t be surprised if you see a lot of dogs dressed as Dorothy this Halloween,” Reed said. “And you’ll see some pet costumes with the Tin Man or the Lion. And there are always the traditional costumes like a hot dog, pumpkin, bee or ghost.”

But Reed cautions that pet costumes are not appropriate for all pets. Some dogs don’t tolerate costumes at all, but Reed said there are Halloween themed leash and collar sets if your dog doesn’t like wearing a costume. And you can always use a Halloween-themed bandana and that’s enough for your pet to be styling for Halloween.

Before purchasing pet costumes, many of which can set you back $100 or more, Reed said there’s one thing you must do first.

“The most important thing is you’ve got to measure your pet. Get a tape measure out and measure your pet’s natural collar size, girth and length from the base of the neck all the way to the tail,” Reed said. “You don’t want costumes that are dragging or costumes with balls or parts that can easily be chewed. Also, before next Friday, let your dog wear the costume a little to get used to it. And if you have a snub-nosed dog like a French bulldog that has breathing issues, they need time to get used to it and don’t need any headgear on their costumes,” she added.

Reed also cautions pet owners to closely monitor any Halloween treats shared with their dogs.

“The big dangers are chocolate, raisins, and sugar free candy with xylitol, but also gummies can be a choking hazard and these are dangers you have to know about,” Reed said.

She also warns about some dangers to cats on Halloween night. Reed recommends if you have a feral cat that usually stays outside, put him or her inside for Halloween night. Some cats, in particular black cats, face danger from pranks or worse on Halloween night, another reason to keep them indoors.

Some pet-friendly people will give out Halloween treats not only to trick-or-treaters but to dogs as well. Reed warns not to give your dog any treat that you don’t know the ingredients for.

Some dogs get extremely nervous on Halloween, between the steady visitors at the front door and the costumes they wear. Reed suggests a natural supplement called Vitality to keep your nervous dog calm on Halloween.

Whether your pet is an active, or unwilling participant in Halloween activities, it’s best to be prepared to help him or her enjoy the holiday, or just make it through a nervous night.

To learn more about Halloween pet safety, or to hear archived episodes of The Pet Buzz, visit https://thepetbuzzradioshow.com.