Contacts: Lane County Animal Services Supervisor Tom Howard, 682-2356; Rochelle Jones, Lane County Animal Services analyst, 682-3013

Halloween can be a lot of fun for most family members. For your furry family members – it can be a frightening event.

Lane County Animal Services is reminding community members to take special precautions as the Halloween holiday approaches. Halloween can be very traumatic for pets as activity and noise typically increase in most homes.

To help your pet this holiday, LCAS has the following tips:

• Secure pets in a quiet room in the house.
• Prevent pets from eating candies. Some candies, especially chocolate, can be fatal to pets.
• Use a muzzle when taking dogs trick-or-treating.
• Use caution with open flames as pets may be burned or could knock the flame over, causing a fire.
• Be careful with costumes. Many people enjoy dressing their pet in costumes. Be aware of the costume type: make sure the costume's elastic or securing device does not interfere with breathing or blood flow, that the costume isn't flammable, and that it does not interfere with the animal’s vision.
• Remember that pets do not understand holiday festivities, the sounds and sights of which can actually be a traumatic experience.

Halloween is a busy time for LCAS, which responds to more calls of pets biting humans, injured pets, animal abuse and lost pets. Please keep your pets safe this Halloween.

For more information about LCAS, visit http://www.lanecounty.org/Animals/

Amber Fossen

Public Information Officer

Lane County Government

125 E. Eighth Ave.

Eugene, Oregon 97401

(541) 682.3718

(541) 359.9143 (cell)