Animal Advocate’s Top Halloween Tips for Making Your Celebration Westie and Wildlife Friendly

Mollie Kerr of the www.kelpsocial.co.uk social media community shares ways we can make Halloween happy and safe for animals

It’s spooky season, the time of the year when many of us love to get dressed up, decorate the house, and celebrate the more ghoulish things in life.

Halloween, which is believed to have its early roots in the Celtic tradition of harvest festival, can be a time to celebrate the arrival of Autumn, with the leaves on the trees turning golden and the need for that extra jumper.

So how can we celebrate this festival so rooted in tradition in a way which is more friendly for Westies and wildlife?

Here, Mollie Kerr—animal advocate and Kelp Social CEO & Founder—shares five key tips for an animal-friendly Halloween.

Mollie said: “I love Halloween: watching spooky films and seeing everyone dressed up! There’s nothing better than putting on Monster House and making a big bowl of popcorn, but I always worry about my cat. 

“He gets nervous with people at the door and fireworks going off – so to stop him getting quite so anxious, I set up some Pet Remedy diffusers a few days before. Also, it’s easy to get carried away and want to put him in an adorable costume, but I had to admit to myself that, despite his cuteness, he would be very uncomfortable.

“Although I love the spooky season, for him it is just another day but with more noise. Another thing I enjoy about Halloween is the tradition of pumpkin carving, but it’s sad that so many pumpkins are carved and thrown away that could be donated to zoos and
 sanctuaries… or better, eaten!”

Recycle your pumpkin – 

The sustainability charity Hubbub estimates that every year 24 million pumpkins bought around Halloween are not eaten at all. This is bad for the environment because pumpkins create methane when sent to landfill, which contributes to climate change.
When carving your pumpkin, instead of throwing out the insides, why not save them and freeze them so you can make pumpkin soup later? Also, if you are not a fan of pumpkin, it can be made into delicious and nutritious dog biscuits. Please be aware that it is not recommended to eat the outside of a pumpkin after it has been decorated and left out.
When you are finished with the outside of the pumpkin–be sure to clean it of any wax, glitter or paint– you can chop it up and put it in your food waste bin. If you put a pumpkin on your own compost, ensure that the compost is completely covered as pumpkin is dangerous for some wildlife. Kate Wollen, Assistant Ecologist, Forestry England says: “We see many posts on social media encouraging people to leave pumpkins in the woods for wildlife to eat, but please do not do this. […] Feeding pumpkins, or any other food in the forest, to birds, foxes, badgers, deer, and boar can make them unwell and can spread disease.”
Don’t like carving pumpkins but still want to reduce waste? Many animal sanctuaries will accept uncarved pumpkins to use as food for the animals. 
Don’t forget, squashes are also spooky too. Where many pumpkins are grown purely for decorative purposes, why not try carving a squash this Halloween? The insides will certainly be sweeter!

Limit loud noises – 

If you’ve put a pumpkin or squash out on the front porch, you’ll likely be getting lots of visitors to your front door. 
If your animals are sensitive to shouts and the bell going off, then set up some Pet Remedy (or any natural diffusers) flowing through the house a few days before: this will ensure they are effective by the time Halloween rolls around. Offering some sweets in
 a bowl, with a sign saying ‘Please take a few’, will prevent the dog from getting spooked every five minutes, this is if you trust your neighbour’s over-excited children not to take the entire bowl instead!
Consider keeping your rabbit or cat inside if there are any fireworks or parties nearby. Halloween is on a Thursday this year so hopefully this means it will be quieter for most neighbourhoods. 
Also, if you are having a spooky movie at your house, maybe go for something more PG and funny if your pets are particularly jumpy.

Trick or Treating for dogs – 

Some calmer canines may want to participate in the trick-or-treating fun! When you are walking, take care with wrappers from any tasty treats, as these could cause a choking hazard if picked up by an animal: including wildlife. Make sure your dog is visible, with
 an up-to-date ID tag, just in case they get lost in the crowds. There may be shrieks of excited children, combined with fireworks, so keep an eye on your pooch and if they seem nervous then take them home. 

Sustainably Spooky –

In the UK, around 350,000 tonnes of used clothes are sent to landfill each year, and when it comes to Halloween costumes they tend to only be used once. Hubbub found that a shocking 83% of Halloween costumes used non-recyclable oil-based plastics, which can only end up in landfill. This means that, in the UK alone, the equivalent of a terrifying 83 million plastic bottles of waste is caused by the Halloween festivities, and the plastic polymer used in over 63% of these costumes, polyester, can take anywhere between
 20-200 years to decompose. Many pre-bought costumes for us and our pets are made of flimsy, perishable material that is only good for one wear and, unless you are Morticia Adams, you probably aren’t going to wear that outfit on any other night of the year.
There is another way. Consider checking out your local costume shop, where you can hire a good quality fun outfit and return it after Halloween festivities are over. 
When it comes to your pet, the RSPCA advises that we should consider how our pets feel when inflicting a spooky costume on them. A spokesperson said: “It’s really important that pet owners think about how dressing up pets can make them feel, as whilst some animals may not mind being dressed up, other pets may find this worrying and even scary.” Some pet costumes may look cute, but remember that cats and dogs don’t understand what Halloween dressing up is. Consider your pet’s autonomy and personality when deciding on how to get spooky, comfort and care is key. 
Many decorations are made from plastics and coated foil that is bad for the planet, especially if they are thrown straight away after Halloween is over. Perhaps getting creative could also be a fun project for you to do with little ones you live with.  Draw some
spooky shapes and cut them out to decorate a window, or use old greetings cards and magazines chopped up to make a fiendish mosaic to hang on the wall.

Beware of pets around sweet treats –

If you have pets in the house, make sure that you keep them away from any sweet treats. Chocolate is toxic for dogs, cats and rabbits as it contains the chemical theobromine which can be fatal. Also watch out for sweet wrappers, lolly sticks and foil packaging
 as they can cause a choking hazard.
To give your dog their own ‘trick or treat’ surprise, don’t forget to save some of that freshly carved pumpkin flesh.

Kelp Social is a social media platform specifically for animal lovers, providing a unique combination of carefully selected brands and charities, with like-minded bloggers. A new kind of social media, Kelp Social is a compassionate community which offers users
 the opportunity to make a difference.