Update: Chopper is now a permanent member of our family and pack. We're blessed to have the little guy in our lives.

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. ~ H. P. Lovecraft

Halloween has so many meanings to different people. Some love it, others hate it. Some celebrate it, others don’t.  Whatever the emotions regarding this holiday are, the reality is that it is a part of our American tradition and because of that, dogs that live in this society are exposed to it to a greater or lesser degree. What meaning does Halloween have to our dogs? Of course, dogs do not understand the historical origins of Halloween or the cultural aspects of it. However, they do experience Halloween and this experience can vary from a very pleasant one to a true “horror event” that a dog would rather not go through at all. What does our dog’s experience depend on? It depends on many factors, with one of the most important ones being how WE, dog owners, prepare our dogs for the Halloween experience, how we act and how clearly we communicate to our dogs how we want them to behave around trick-or-treaters. We should guide our dogs to be balanced and social in various situations, including Halloween night.

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