Fall is Coming Tips from your Charlotte Pet Sitter
Summer is slowly drifting away, and with it comes cooler temperatures, Halloween trick or treaters, and the perfect time for festive outings with your dogs!
The summer heat may have kept you from long hikes, bike rides, or adventures with your pup, but fall weather provides the perfect time to get out and explore. Apple orchards and corn mazes are now open for business, and if they’re dog friendly, the perfect way to get out and enjoy fall with your pup. With all the extra outings, be sure to keep your dog on a tick preventive and up to date on Lyme vaccinations. Check for ticks after outings since fall is the height of tick season in many areas.
With all the festive fall outings, also come festive decorations, like Halloween goblins and ghouls in front yards. Steer clear if you think the new decor will scare your dog, or keep walks to daylight hours, when both you and your dog are able to better keep an eye out for what’s ahead. Considering adding a dog walker to your routine for some help with keeping walks early enough.
And once Halloween trick or treating is here, be extra careful to keep your walk early enough to be inside when all the costumed Frankensteins and vampires head door to door for candy. Even the best dogs can get spooked with costumed kids running around and ringing doorbells.
If your dog goes a little crazy every time the doorbell rings, consider just putting a bowl of candy outside the door, or sitting outside the door yourself to pass out candy, to prevent the doorbell from ringing at all. Put on the TV or some music to distract your pup from everything going on outside, and give him a new chew toy for the evening. With all the tricks outside, he deserves a new treat!
Once the festivities have settled down and you get back into your new, colder weather routine, bring out the extra blankets for both you and your pup. Add a rug or dog bed to the floors, especially if you have chilly hardwood or linoleum floors. Consider adding some cold weather gear to your pup’s wardrobe–dog jackets, puppy gloves, and just an extra rug by the front door can help make cold weather with your pup more enjoyable.
By Rachel Leisemann Immel