Hey, fellow pet lovers!!

Today’s post is a little bonus post since It’s Halloween. I just wanted to wish you and your furry friends all a happy Halloween, show you my scary bunch in their little costumes and also briefly talk about how we can keep our pets safe this Halloween.

Let’s jump straight into this Happy Halloween Bonus post!!

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Happy Halloween, 2018

Halloween is here and its time to get scary!!

Which for most of our pets that unfortunately means having to get dressed up. I was really hoping this Halloween I would have been able to make my girls some funny costumes, but I haven’t managed too since I’ve had a super busy month and just haven’t found the time, so store-bought is going to have to do.

I wanted Lily to be the pumpkin but they didn’t have any costumes in her size, so Pooss drew the short straw and became Pooss the pumpkin much to her dislike.

I honestly couldn’t stop laughing at how funny she looked. Getting it on her really wasn’t funny though, she wasn’t very pleased with us at all!!

Next is Nia, who just fits into her spider costume, thankfully she doesn’t mind being dressed up as much as Lily and the Pooss, so it was pretty easy to get her sorted.

Lily’s costume was left to the last-minute as we really couldn’t find anything to fit her, I did think about allowing her to go as herself since she is such a terror anyways, but thought she would be unhappy if she was left out.

The only costume left for her was a Batdog one which isn’t scary but she looks fairly funny and super cute.

How cute do they look??

I love this photo, it was quite a challenge to get them all to sit still for more than two seconds but after a few bits of apple as a treat, we managed to get a decent photo.

I hope you all liked seeing my girls in their little costumes, next year I’m really going to go above and beyond since I have the whole year to start planning 🙂

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How to keep your pet safe this Halloween?

Halloween can be a very scary time for your pet, there is so much going on, plenty of unfamiliar noises and strange and scary looking people everywhere, that it can be quite hard for your pet to adjust and settle. Also, with Bonfire night only a few days away and fireworks going off frequently, your pet can easily get stressed out.

However, there are a few things you can do to help your pet feel more calm and relaxed this Halloween such as

• Take them out on an early walk before everything gets too busy!!

The first thing to do when you wake up on Halloween is to get your pooch out nice and early if possible.

However, lots of people are at work early which means this isn’t possible but you can still take your pet out as soon as you get in from work or even on your dinner break. By doing this it means you miss out on most of the trick or treaters that are out and about and your pet will feel more relaxed on their walk.

• Tire your pet out by letting them run around.

The most important thing to do is make sure you tire your pooch out as this will make a massive difference later on. Today the girls have been to the Leas for a good run around off the lead with their Xdog Weight and Fitness Vests on. For Pooss I plan on playing with her and making sure she has had a good little run around so she settles down later on and is nice and relaxed.

By getting all that crazy energy out you are far more likely to have a lazy pet later on that isn’t going to be very reactive to every knock on the door or firework that goes off.

• Have some treats on hand or fill up a Kong.

I haven’t written a blog post on Kong’s classic toy yet but I really should as they are great and my girls love them!!

Tonight we will be going to my partner’s parents for a nice little family dinner and the girls will hopefully be all cosy and relaxed with the heating on and safe and sound inside the flat. However, before we leave I want to make sure they are both mentally and physically tired and one way to do this is with their Kong’s.

Currently, the girls Kong’s are in the freezer with a little bit of yoghurt, peanut butter and a few frozen blueberries. However, you can use whatever you want in your pets kong. Once you have decided what you want to fill it with, then simply stick in it the freezer for a quarter of an hour, then take it out and give to your furry friend to enjoy.

If you are in need of some tasty treats for your pet then check out our latest recipe which is, Halloween Spiced Pumpkin and Coconut Flour Biscuits.

This should keep their mind off things for a little while and also provide them with some much-needed mental stimulation to help chill them out later on.

• Stick some calming music or doggie TV on.

There are countless YouTube videos of calming and relaxing dog music or even doggie TV to help your pet settle during stressful times.

Here are a few videos I found on YouTube to stick on if your pet is struggling to settle or if you are planning on going out and they will be home alone.

• TV for Dogs! How to Relax My Dog TV with Calming Music!
• How to Calm Your Dog Down Music! Relaxing Music for Dogs to Stop Anxiety and Help Keep them Calm!

• Make your cat a little den they can hide in.

My girl Pooss loves to hide in small spaces and if you have a little cardboard box lying around then get it comfy by putting a few throws in, sticking it somewhere warm and away from the front door so your cat doesn’t have to be bothered by trick or treaters.

By providing your cat with a secure secluded place to get cosy, they will feel way more comfortable and safe. This also gives you peace of mind that your pet is safe and sound inside the house this Halloween.

• Get cosy with your pet.

We actually don’t get trick or treaters which means our girls have a lot less to deal with since we live in a flat. However, for most of you guys that do you should maybe think about having a relaxing night in the bedroom with your pets, reading a book or if you have a TV then sticking a scary movie on.

Still, answer the door to those trick or treaters of course but this means that your pet is further away from your constant ringing doorbell and they will be more likely to settle.

So hop in bed, get cosy and cuddle up with your pet this Halloween!!

• Act normal.

As odd as this sounds I just wanted to say act normal if your pet starts to get a bit uncomfortable as you do not want to indulge this behaviour.

We have got very lucky with our girls and they kick off with very little, fireworks don’t even bother them but I will talk more about that in Saturday’s post as I want to write a similar post on how to keep your pet safe and comfortable during Bonfire night.

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Thanks for checking in and I hope you guys liked today’s bonus post, if any of you lovely pet owners are planning on dressing your pets up then please leave a comment with a photo of them down below so everyone can see how adorable they look. Or head over to our Facebook page and post one on our wall @epoch.pet

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