Halloween Safety for Dog Owners

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Dog Warden Service and Council Vets would like to remind all pet owners that at Halloween special care needs to be taken to ensure that their pets are protected from the stress and anxiety that is caused by fireworks.

The Dog Warden Service can receive as much as a 30% increase in lost dog complaints during the Halloween period with family pets found miles from their homes.

The message is to enjoy Halloween, but make sure your pets do too. Simple precautions can be taken to ensure that every member of your family has a safe and enjoyable time.

Keep your pets indoors when fireworks are around.
Close the curtains and turn on the radio or TV to help drown out the noise.
If you have a very nervous dog speak to your Vet, they may be able to give it a sedative to help it relax.
Ensure your dog is wearing appropriate identification to allow prompt return to its home, should it be found by a member of the public or Dog Warden.
Keep your pets in a secure place in your home especially if you are giving out sweets to trick-or-treaters.
Keep dogs out of the sweet bowl and properly dispose of sweet wrappers. Chocolate can cause your dog to be sick and incur unnecessary Vet bills.

Identification of your dog is vital to help Dog Wardens trace the owner of any dog found. You should ensure that your dog is licensed and is wearing an identification tag at all times.

Microchipping is a veterinary procedure in which a small capsule, the size of a grain of rice, is injected under the dogs skin. The chip contains a unique reference number that can be linked to a computer database containing the owners contact details.

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council scans all dogs that are brought into its kennels and would strongly advocate microchipping as an additional means of identification.

Should your dog go missing or if you have any concerns or questions please contact a Dog Warden on 028 9244 7867.

For further information about firework safety, contact Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council's Environmental Health Service Unit on 028 9244 7867 or by emailing ehealth@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk or the Northern Ireland Office on 028 9052 7668.