Chocolates aren’t the only thing scary for pets at Halloween

While Halloween is an exciting time for children — and many adults — it may not be as much fun for pets, who can easily become spooked by the repeated ringing of doorbells or knocking on doors, and Southland animal officials urged pet-owners to take precautions.

Officials with LA Animal Services and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles stressed that animals aren’t always happy being dressed in costumes, no matter how cute the owner may believe them to be. Animal Services officials recommended that pet owners stick with no more than a decorative collar — ensuring that it has an ID tag with proper contact information.

Here are a series of tips offered by various animal-safety groups:

• Ensure pets are licensed and microchipped with current information.
• Keep animals in a room away from the front door while trick-or- treaters are visiting.
• Walk dogs before trick-or-treaters start arriving.
• Do not take pets trick-or-treating.
• Ensure that burning candles and jack-o-lanterns are kept away from animals and their wagging tails.
• Keep pets away from candy, which can be toxic to them, and keep a phone number handy for poison control and a veterinarian just in case.

— City News Service