5 reasonable things to buy your dog for Halloween
No, I'm not referring to a Halloween costume
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When my mother informed me that I was not invited to White Sox Dog Day but she wanted my dog to come — and after I finished laughing at the shade of it all — I was 100% certain my dog was going to come back with something useless. Why? Her own dog has two foldout closets of dog clothes in her basement. This is a woman who had a screaming argument with me when I stopped playing with Barbie dolls. She loves fashion and dressing stuff up.
Recommended Read: “5 tips to help your dog behave this Halloween ~ From brooms to black cats, Halloween decor can create chaos”
However, every time I’m all set to make fun of her for buying something I think is unnecessary (no, Junee did not need a White Sox bandana), she manages to shut me up with something that makes incredible sense. Over the holidays one year, it was a dog winter coat that immediately made me realize short-haired dogs do indeed need an extra layer.
This time around, she bought Junee this amazing little collar light that has resulted in it being far easier to spot her poop under trees and tall grass, immediately recognize when she’s messing with something suspicious on lawns, and help bicyclists see a black dog at night when they ride by.
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1. Halloween Dog Tag Night Light
While she was sure I’d donate (or throw away) everything she bought, this dog collar light is my favorite thing ever! I might buy it in more colors solely to celebrate the holidays. So what other reasonable things can you buy for a dog on Halloween (and beyond) that is both functional and helpful? Here are four more.
Functional dog supplies for your dog’s Halloween (and beyond)
2. Halloween Dog Collar
One of the easiest ways to lose track of your dog is to not regularly keep a collar and updated dog tags on him or her. Check your tags every once in a while to make sure the phone number and address have not changed, as well as confirming the rabies tag is updated. Besides microchipping, that dog collar and tag are the first two ways that a responsible stranger can guide your dog back to you. Plus, this orange Halloween collar is bright enough for trick or treaters to see at night — and comes in handy for joggers and bicyclists who don’t immediately notice the black dog near my knees.
3. Halloween Couch Pillow
I still haven’t quite figured out why, but couch end pillows stop my dog from leaping from one couch to the other. It could be that she doesn’t want to land wrong on the couch, but that never stops her from getting on either couch if I sit on it. Instead of sitting on top of my couch (and flattening down the top of the pillows), she just sits against the pillows and rests on them.
Halloween pillows are like another option for a dog bed. And if you really want to get your dog out of the habit of leaping on your couches, there’s always the option to test out a dog couch, which is lower to the floor.
Recommended Read: “Happy Halloween: Jackie versus Junee on All Hallows' Eve ~ Junee fighting Halloween decorations: My favorite new part of the holiday”
4. Pumpkin (or Pumpkin treats)
I’m not sure why I was convinced that dogs aren’t allowed to eat pumpkins. I remember writing this post about what fruits dog can/not eat and vegetables dogs can/not eat, and pumpkin is clearly in the collage I made. But it wasn’t until my dog started pacing back and forth yesterday while I was eating Like Air Pumpkin Spice Puffcorn that I checked again. (I expected this snack to be disgusting and thought I hated all things with pumpkin spice in them, but apparently I’m wrong. I got a bag of this flavor for free, and now I want more.)
Both WebMD and PetMD confirm that pumpkin is a healthy snack — in moderation and only one to two tablespoons (depending on the dog’s size). But if you’re like me and not really into pumpkin (but surprisingly into Like Air snacks) enough to buy a whole one, maybe try pumpkin snacks instead.
5. Halloween Dog Toy
I lucked out and have a dog with a short attention span. Although my Halloween window decals and table decor were interesting in year one, she was bored of all of them after 24 hours passed. I can safely say for three years straight that I can leave Halloween decorations around without her messing with them — or even paying much attention to them.
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That doesn’t mean I leave the most dangerous options — open flames, cobwebs, wires or glow sticks — within her reach. Although she doesn’t have any interest in them when I’m home, I’d rather be safe than sorry. If you think your dog needs an extra distraction around these autumn holidays, consider treats that she should play with. Chew toys are always a good option, and they come in Halloween and autumn themes.
Although the Halloween decorations will come down by November 1, these five Halloween dog toys and Halloween dog treat options may still be enjoyable to your dog before the Thanksgiving meals come out and the Santa decor is in your front yard.
Shamontiel is a dog lover to her core: 612 completed walks with 99 dogs, eight dog-housesittings and six dog boardings at the time of this publication.
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