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Denver (KDVR) — As the holiday season pulls into town this weekend, Denver Animal Protection wants to remind pet owners on how best to keep their tail-wagging family members safe from hazardous holiday norms. 

Halloween will forever be mentioned in tandem with chocolate, which is one of the largest threats to a dog’s health. One ounce of the concentrated cocoa per pound is lethal for your k-9 counterpart to ingest. Using simple arithmetic leads to the realization that 1 pound of chocolate can kill a 20-pound dog, so keep this in mind and dog-proof your candy bowls. 

In addition to the dietary risks, repeated knocks on the door can trigger a protective dog to constantly bark throughout the evening leading to unusually high levels of stress. To counter this, DAP encourages letting your dog sit in a secluded room with calming music and a treat to teeth on throughout the night.   

Party hosting has been a rarity in 2020 but if you do throw a party then be sure to keep candles, poisonous glowsticks, fake cobwebs and any other decorative ‘chokeables’ out of your pet’s reach.  

Animal costumes are adorable and usually worth a post to Instagram, but if your pet is trying to shake the item off or seems hindered in any way, you should remove what is causing strife and make sure that the outfit has zero choking hazards. Keep in mind that a stressed pet is more likely to bite at random and flee from perceived threats.  

As the city re-enters Level 3 of Safer at Home, the Colorado Department of Public Health requires parties to be under 10 people from no more than two households and recommends holding them outside. Denver has stricter guidelines banning gatherings of more than five unrelated people.

Lastly, it is wise to get your pets tagged and microchipped so if they do flee from your home during the endless flow of costumed visitors, tracking them will be a breeze.  

If you have any further questions on how to better prepare for an animal-friendly Halloween, you can contact the Animal Protection Officers at (720) 865-5359 or visit their website.