Why our four-legged friends adore October 31st
You probably didn’t know that Halloween is one of your dog’s most beloved days, but it is! Here’s six reasons why:
1. EXTRA DOORBELLS
Dogs love the doorbell every day but Halloween takes it to the next level. The ding-dong noise that magically transports someone new to your home rings nonstop and every time it does, there’s not just one or two new people but a group of the tiny and most fun ones! Plus, they’re all dressed in funny ways and seem to love the extra attention.
2. SMALL HUMANS DRESS LIKE THEM
Some of the small people – no joke – dress up like dogs. There are scary, wolfish variations and funny, floppy-eared canines too. What an honor to be portrayed by humans, even if it is the small and mostly powerless ones!
3. TRICKS FOR TREATS
For dogs, it’s admittedly a bit patronizing to always have to perform tricks for treats. Dogs enjoy watching the small humans do the trick of walking up the steps and ringing the doorbell for a treat. It really evens out the playing field in a dog’s eyes.
4. COSTUMES
In autumn and winter, dogs get to put on the occasional piece of clothing like humans do every day. Halloween, however, is a time to really dress like a human. If they’re lucky, a dog might get to wear a skirt, a shirt/pants combo, a hat, or (gasp) a tiara like a human princess would wear. Sometimes the unlucky dogs are dressed up as food and have to wear a hot dog (har har) or a banana costume. Oh well.
5. ONE LONG WALK
Dogs in a family with kids usually get to accompany their small humans on their tricks for treats missions. The walks aren’t very far, but they last a long time and there sure is a lot to get excited about. Plus, they’ll sometimes see one of those small humans dressed like a dog which is just the best.
6. THEY TAKE PRIDE IN NOT BEING SCAREDY CATS
When their humans discuss Halloween related things like scary movies or stories about ghosts, sometimes one human will tell another human not to be a “scaredy cat.” Dogs aren’t sure exactly what that means but they understand the word “cat” and that the humans don’t want to be associated with them – which really pleases the dog.
BY JON NELSON, Get Leashed Magazine
