Witches, ghosts, goblins and puppy dogs? This is Halloween weekend and the celebrations are in full force with parties, costume contests and even some early trick-or-treating. Last year the Cook family had a great time participating in the Waldon Farm and Ranch Supply’s annual wiener dog races and costume contest, of which I’m proud to say Rebel took home a prize for his cute angel costume, as well at Barktoberfest held at Fort Woof Dog Park in Fort Worth. We will be in England over Halloween weekend this year and will miss most of the festivities.

Halloween can be fun for adults, but frightening and even dangerous for your pets and it’s important to remember that as with most holidays, pet owners need to take precautions to keep their pets safe. Here are some great tips from the ASPCA that are good to consider when celebrating Halloween with your furry friends.

Don’t leave your pet out in the yard on Halloween: There are plenty of stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, even killed pets on this night. Be especially mindful of black cats.

Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets: Chocolate is poisonous to a lot of animals, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

Be careful of pets around a lit pumpkin: Pets may knock it over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned.

Don’t dress your dog in a costume unless you know he loves it: Otherwise, it puts a lot of stress on the animal.

If you do dress up your dog, make sure the costume isn’t constricting, annoying or unsafe: Be careful not to obstruct their vision – even the sweetest dogs can get snappy when they can’t see what’s going on around them.

All but the most social dogs should be kept in a separate room during trick-or-treat visiting hours: too many strangers in strange garb can be scary for a dog.

Be careful your dog doesn’t dart out through the open door: It’s easy for your dog to run out with the door opening so often. He could be frightened and bite or even get run over.

If you want to treat your dog to an irresistibly cute costume try PetSmart in Weatherford or PetsWest in Aledo. Bring your dog with you when you shop to be sure the fit is right. However, don’t attempt to bring your dog to a costume contest if he has not been properly socialized. It will only confuse and scare him and make it difficult for the others in attendance.

If you and your dog are getting into the Halloween spirit, just be safe and have a frightfully fun Halloween!