Kids in costumes will be out in full force Monday night to enjoy Halloween festivities and collect treats.
To keep young ones safe, Vernon North Okanagan RCMP are asking parents to help kids plan their route in advance, and to arrange a meeting time and place.
If a mask is part of a child’s costume, RCMP encourage parents to tell the kids to remove it while moving between houses, and to never trick-or-treat alone.
To stay visible, kids should have a flashlight, glow stick, or reflective tape. They should never eat any candy until it has been checked by an adult.
Police say trick-or-treaters should always walk on the left-hand side of the road facing traffic if there is no sidewalk and cross at crosswalks.
Drivers are also reminded to slow down and pay attention, RCMP said.
Children aren’t the only ones that parents and caregivers need to keep safe on this night.
Pets tend to have a hard time with the season, whether it’s because of sweets that are toxic for them or the simple fact that frights are troublesome.
The B.C. SPCA recommends that pets be kept indoors for the occasion.
Strangers plus lots of attention and loud noise can be scary for pets and encourage aggressive behaviour in dogs.
“Give pets a quiet room where they can take a break from the parade of trick-or-treaters arriving at the door,” SPCA officials said in a press release.
“Pets can have fun playing with Halloween-themed catnip or chew toys away from all the unfamiliar sights and smells. Prepare pets ahead of time by getting them used to the sound of the doorbell ringing and giving them a treat.”
Alternatively, they say homes with pets can avoid having the doorbell rung repeatedly by leaving a bowl of treats near the door outside where trick-or-treaters can help themselves.
As for those treats, the SPCA said to remember that pets can choke on hard candies and that chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats so keep them out of reach, if possible.