Why I Don’t Go Trick-o-Treating With My Dogs

Something horrifying happened last Halloween, and it had nothing to do with decorations or costumes. My fiance and I decided to go trick-o-treating with his young siblings in 2018. We took both my dogs with us. As I walked Bugatti, my fiance walked Kitchi. I put the dogs in costumes that I had a friend custom make just a few days prior. Initially, I wasn’t going to dress the dogs up. But I’m so glad I had a change of heart.

Although we saw a few other dogs while traversing through his family’s neighborhood, they were well-mannered. It was towards the end of the night that his parents announced they and the kiddos were headed back home. While we agreed to call it a night, the two of us decided to take a different route back to see more of the decorations.

That was a mistake.

As we round the corner on the sidewalk, we pass by a home at which some trick-o-treaters were visiting. When the homeowner opened the door, her large American Bulldog ran past her and the kids….and right at Kitchi! Without hesitation, the Bulldog clamped onto 15-pound Kitchi and started to shake her before either myself or my fiance could react.

While I moved Bugatti across the street to safety, my fiance and the Bulldog’s owners tried everything to get him to let go of Kitchi. Much to our surprise, Kitchi managed to slip out of her costume, and right out of the dog’s mouth! After she took off running down the road, I was able to call her back to me with ease. Meanwhile, the Bulldog was drug back into the owner’s house and locked in another room.

Kitchi managed to come through the situation fine, uninjured. My fiance tore his pants and had a nasty gash from dealing with the bulldog. But the owners were reported to animal control, and had to deal with the ramifications of not properly handling their aggressive dog (which is a law in Arizona).

This is why I no longer go trick-o-treating with my dogs. Because while I can train them before that night and advocate for them during our adventure, nothing can prepare us for unexpected situations like that one. My dogs always come first. I will not put them in potential danger by trick-o-treating with them again.