It’s that time of year again. The air is getting crisp, the leaves are changing color, and decorators are putting up spooky skeletons and creepy spiders in their front yards. For many people, a favorite part of fall is dressing up their pets in adorable costumes! There are so many great ideas for dressing your pet up as a pumpkin, ghost, or even a hot dog.
Of course, not all pets enjoy wearing costumes. If you’re considering dressing your pet up for Halloween, take a few minutes to think about what your pet will go through when he wears a costume. Is he the kind of animal who might get scared by his new appearance? Does the costume restrict his movement? Does it cover his eyes? Does it make him too hot or uncomfortable? Keep in mind that any costume you put on your pet should be safe, comfortable, and not obstruct his vision or hearing.
If you’re still considering dressing your pet up for Halloween, check out some of these adorable costumes!
Dog Reacts to Creepy Crawlers: a blog about dogs and insects.
The following is a guest post from our friends over at Canine Journal.
For many of us, the idea of a spider in our house is enough to send us running for the door. However, some dogs are actually intrigued by these creepy crawlies and go after them with the intent to catch them.
How are dogs reacting to insects?
Insects are everywhere, making it nearly impossible for you to keep your dog away from them. Whether they’re outside running around or inside playing a game of fetch, insects will always be present. And while some dogs could care less about an ant crawling across their bed, other dogs have a strong reaction when they see insects.
If your dog has the desire to chase down insects, it’s possible that they would rather play with them than eat them (like cats do). Some people believe that a dog’s desire to chase insects is linked to their hunting instinct and drive to survive. If there’s a huge bug crawling around in their vicinity, it’s not unusual for some dogs to want to chase it down and possibly kill it.
This post will be short and sweet.
Spiders are creepy crawlers that can crawl in your ears, in your nose, and (with a little help from the wind) in your mouth. The following video is one example of how a dog reacts to spiders:
The first time my dog encountered a spider was on Halloween. It was a delicious, unusually warm October evening and I was taking my dog for a walk down the busy street in our neighborhood that was packed with trick-or-treaters. As we walked past a house decorated with cobwebs and plastic spiders, I glanced to the ground where I noticed a large black spider crawling across the sidewalk. I immediately stopped to see how my dog would react to this arachnid.
I held my breath as the spider slowly approached my dog’s paw. The poor thing didn’t seem to know what to do; she just stared intently at the creepy crawler while wagging her tail excitedly. At this point, I should mention that she is not an aggressive dog; she has never hurt another animal or person in her life (except maybe in her dreams). But this spider was larger than anything she’d ever seen before.
After what seemed like an eternity (probably only five seconds), my dog finally lost interest in the spider and decided to continue walking down the street. In response, the spider quickly scurried away into a crack in the cement. My dog had narrowly missed being bitten by this venomous creature!
Buster is not a fan of bugs, so when he sees a creepy crawler, he tends to go into defensive mode.
He doesn’t run away, or start barking. He just stands his ground and puffs up his fur to look as big and tough as possible. It’s a good defense against the creepy crawlers!
Check out his hilarious reaction to a bug on a leaf below:
Dogs, like all mammals, have a keen sense of smell, which they use to great effect to sniff out food and locate other dogs, among other things. Dogs also tend to be much more sensitive to insect smells than humans are. Insects are generally small and difficult to detect from a distance with the human eye, but can be smelled from relatively far away by a dog. While this seems like something that would make dogs naturally hate bugs, some dogs actually find them quite interesting and will follow their scent until they find its source.
The following is a guest post by our friends at the Entomological Society of America.
We all know that Halloween is one of the only days of the year when you can dress your dog up and call it “cute” instead of “weird.” But what about insects? They’re part of the family, too, so let’s not leave them out of this holiday!
Halloween can be tricky for entomologists. We want to celebrate the holiday with our colleagues, but some people don’t appreciate being doused with roach spray or finding a dead cockroach in their drink. So we’ve come up with some costumes that will be fun for everyone (and won’t require any insecticide). Try these on for size!
The Monarch Butterfly: This is an easy one—just find a pair of orange wings and a black or brown shirt. You’ll win every costume contest because almost nobody will be dressed as a butterfly (but you might face some competition from ladybugs and fairies). And if someone asks you where your antennae are—well, they’re inside your head, just like they are in real life!
Spider: You can go either the cute route or the scary route with this one. Either way, keep it simple