Pets and Halloween

Ghosts, goblins and creatures of the night will soon be prowling the streets.

Halloween will soon be upon us, small children will be dressed in out landish costumes and the world may turn scary for your dog or cat. Cats, generally have sense to hide when things get a bit much for them, but dogs on the other hand seem to want to stick around and defend the household from the strange intruders.

Halloween can be a dangerous time for our pets. As Halloween gets closer, and daylight savings time ends, the evenings are suddenly much darker and with that, sometimes “strange behaviors” occur.

What do I mean by that? Without trying to frighten anyone, I want to make you aware that even in the “best” of neighborhoods as it gets close to Halloween strange things happen, especially in regard to cats.

There are people that during this time of year, get some sort of a “kick” out of hurting small animals, mainly black cats and other cats. Maybe it is the spirit of witchcraft that fills the air. Whatever it is, it is best to keep kitty and other small pets in the house as it begins to get dark.

Dogs, too, face a stressful time, as children in strange costumes and false faces present a scary picture to a dog. Granted some dogs will just bark, but others might try to attack the “creature.”
So acting on the side of caution it is wise to keep your dog inside the house.

What other things should you consider as Halloween approaches? Halloween decorations with candles inside are pretty and cute, but tails on dogs and curious cats can mean serious problems like a fire or hot wax spilled on a pet. Cats can get serious burns and not realize it, until it is too late, as they like heat.

What would Halloween be without candy? Chocolate and pets is a no-no. Candy wrappers, especially the foil ones, can be ingested and cause your pet some serious problems.

Trick or treaters at the door, I love seeing the children all dressed up, but your cat or dog can make a quick escape out the door, while you are distracted handing out goodies. Again, on the side of caution keep your pet in a “safe room” while all this is going on. The dark of night is no time to go looking for a scared pet.

If you are planning on dressing up your pet for the occasion, first be certain it will not stress the pet out.

Secondly, if you want your pet to greet people at the door, do yourself a favor and the pet, too put your pet’s leach on and fasten it to your wrist. Why? Just to make certain when Halloween is all over, the two of you are still together.

An ounce of prevention is worth the effort it takes to ensure the safety of your pet and the others who come to your door.

Raising Eco-Conscious Kids While Helping the Planet

Having a child is often a motivating factor for protecting the environment, as most parents go green in order to improve their children’s future.  If you are like many eco-conscious parents, you hope to raise children who will have a positive impact on the environment.  However, true eco-parenting involves much more than teaching your children about recycling.

Babies and children create more waste each than several adults, which means you must begin by reducing the carbon footprints of your children.  Moreover, you must teach your children by example, and extend your green activism into your community.  Buying organic baby food and fair-trade toys is not enough.  You must reduce your family’s waste, create an environmentally friendly home, and educate your community about green living.

One common reason that parents are hesitant about going green is the belief that green living is expensive.  However, green living is often cheaper, and it can save you money both in the short term and in the long-term.

Eliminating disposable products from your home is an easy way to help the environment, and it is one eco-friendly option that will also save you a significant amount of money.  Disposable cups, plates, paper towels, diapers, and napkins are convenient items that can have a negative impact on the environment.  By decreasing the amount of these products used in your home, or eliminating the use of these items altogether, you are saving money and teaching your children an environmentally friendly alternative that they will likely carry over into their own adult lives.

Another excellent way of saving your family money while helping the environment is to reduce your family’s consumption of energy.  Turning off appliances at the wall, consolidating car trips, and using energy efficient light bulbs are simple ways to reduce energy usage that will likely turn into lifelong habits in your children.  Installing solar heating panels and reducing the temperature setting on your hot water heater are additional ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Protecting the environment means making changes to more than just your home, though.  To truly have a positive impact on your environment, you need to reach out to your community.  Educate your local schools on how to go green, and become involved with an organization that plants trees or lobbies for eco-friendly legislation.  Visit organic farms with your children, and speak with your local grocery stores about increasing their stock of organic and sustainable products.

Of course, living green does not mean you cannot enjoy spending time with your family.  It simply means you need to do what you can to protect the environment.  Whether you choose to use cloth diapers instead of disposables, buy toys and furniture second-hand, carpool, plant trees, or lobby for community recycling containers, your ultimate goal should be to reduce the carbon footprint of your family, teach your children about green living, and produce more than you waste.