Five Halloween Pet Safety Tips

1. Think things through before putting your pet in a Halloween costume. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume doesn’t obstruct your pet’s vision and isn't uncomfortable or unsafe.

2. Be sure that your pets don't get into the Halloween goodies. Most pet owners know that chocolate is poisonous to pets, but candies made with the sugar substitute xylitol are also dangerous. 

3. Unless your pets are true party animals, put them in a room where they won't be disturbed during a party. Please don’t give alcoholic beverages to your pets and keep a watchful eye on party guests. Some may think it's funny to give an animal alcohol, but it can result in serious illness and even death.

4. Be extra careful that cats or dogs don't dart outside through an open door. A familiar neighborhood can become unfamiliar and scary territory on Halloween. House and yard decorations, Trick-or-Treaters and increased traffic can panic an escaped pet.

5. (Fire) safety first. Dogs, particularly enthusiastic tail-waggers, can easily knock over a pumpkin and cause a fire. Curious kittens also run the risk of getting burned.

Dogs Help Schools Lick Bullies

The No More Bullies program uses dogs to foster greater responsibility, compassion, self-control and integrity in kids. Since its small launch five years ago, teachers and counselors have become so convinced of the positive impact on students' behavior, that it's booked into the 80-classroom max it can handle, and there's a long waiting list of requests for next year.  This is one of a growing number of programs that use animals to get kids' attention while teaching respect and conflict resolution.  

Photos of Surviving 9/11 Rescue Dogs

During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors.  Click on the link to view photos of the 12 surviving heroic canines. 

Diabetes on the Rise in Cats

Despite having a reputation of being finicky eaters, an estimated 54% of domestic cats are overweight, with 22% considered to be obese.  There is now evidence to suggest a strong link in cats between being overweight and developing diabetes.  To help your feline friends live longer, healthier lives, be sure to watch their caloric intake and increase their playtime.  For more information, click on the link to read the recent article from USA Today. 

Tail-Waggin' Tutor

Gil, a therapy dog in Shelby, NC is being used to help 3rd graders to becomes better readers.  The golden retriever performs his magic just by listening to kids as they read to him.  "The research has shown students' reading improves," said the school's psychologist, Jo Bralley.  "Dogs are non-judgmental.  Students don't feel self-conscious about reading.  If they miss a word, or mispronounce a word, they keep going because they are not embarrassed."