A Tangled Web: Halloween Product Contributes to a Real-Life Horror

By Brian Sodergren

Patricia Wallace's house on Long Island, New York looks like many others this time of the year: outfitted with the spooky Halloween decorations that seem as harmless and common as cobwebs in the basement. Click Here To View Article on HSUS website.

7 Essential Halloween Pet Tips hsus.org

1 Keep pets safely inside, away from trick-or-treaters and other Halloween activities.

2 Cats, especially black ones, may be the target of pranksters. Keep cats safely indoors. Go to www.safecats.org for more information.

3 Be sure all pets are wearing collars with ID tags, as frequently opened doors provide a perfect opportunity for escape.

4 Keep candy out of your pet’s reach. Candy can be harmful to pets and chocolate is toxic to cats, dogs, and ferrets.

5 Keep pets away from decorations. Candle flames can quickly singe, burn or set fire to a pet’s fur. Pets can become tangled in hanging decorations like streamers and can choke on some decorations if they chew on them.

6 Resist the urge to put your furry friend in costume. Most pets dislike the confinement of costumes and masks, and flowing capes can cause injuries if pets get caught on something.

7 Don’t bring the family dog along for trick-or-treating. Dogs may become difficult to handle during the noise and confusion of the festivities. A lost dog or dog bite will quickly end your Halloween fun.

The Great Tongue Debate

There is a myth that chows are the only breeds with black tongues, and that if the tongue has black spots it must have chow heritage. This is not true. Everyone in chows knows the standard comment--if the dog has a black tongue, then it is a chow.  We also hear the comment that if it has pink spots, then it is a mix.  If only it were this simple!  Black spots on the tongue in no way indicate whether the dog is a chow or a chow mix unless that tongue is attached to a dog that looks like a chow.  There are many, many breeds that can have black pigment on the tongue. Some can have large spots of black pigment, and sometimes they may have almost solid black pigmentation on their tongues.  So, if a black pigmented tongue is attached to a dog that does not look like a chow, then it is probably not a chow. Also true is that not all purebred chows will have solid pigment on their tongues. Even the best of show breedings can produce chows with incomplete pigment, so we certainly should not discount a rescued chow with a spot or two of pink. The following is a list of breeds known to have purebred individuals appear with black pigmentation on their tongues. 


The list compiled by Vicki DeGruy of the Chow Club Welfare Committee.
Shar-Pei, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever,  Cocker Spaniel, Siberian Husky, Rottweiler, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Newfoundland, Collie, German Shepherd,Akita, Belgian Sheepdog, Tervuren, Malinois, Fila Brasileiro, Cairn Terrier, Great Pyrenees, Keeshond, Airedale, Doberman Pinscher, Bouvier de Flandres, Australian Shepherd, Australian Cattle Dog, Pug, Shiba Inu, Dalmatian, Flat-coated Retriever, Gordon Setters

The above information is from the Columbus Dog Connection website.

We always appreciate it when people bring in the stray dogs and cats they find, as it keeps them from getting hit by cars or starving to death. And with most of these animals being dumped off in the county out of anyone's jurisdiction, it's the only way that they end up at the Humane Society.

Something else that is happening this time of year is mother birds trying to teach their fledglings how to fly and feed themselves. So, they are out of their nests, and the first instinct to us humans is to pick one up as you don't see the mother. Then, you try to feed it, and the squawking keeps up, you don't know what to do, and you will then be looking for a new mother to take the job. Then the Humane Society ends up with them. We have raised and released over 15 babies (almost all mockingbirds) this year, which is the most we've seen through our doors in one year.

The sad thing about it is that if the public would have left the babies alone, the mother would have shown up, once us humans were out of the way.

If you end up in a situation where a baby is in the way of the lawnmower, your car, or your cat or dog, pick it up and move it to the closest bush or tree you can find. The parents will find it.

It is not an easy job to hand raise a baby, as you need to feed it, and then teach it how to feed itself. This can take a few weeks or more depending on how old the baby is. So, we ask you the public, please leave the babies alone and let their parents have the privilege of raising them.

Swiffer Wet Jet

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Responds to Swiffer Wet Jet Rumor: Click Here For Article