October | 2009 | Tattle Tails

You know that bark, the inevitable howl ringing through the evening: it’s your neighbor’s dog’s nightly routine. Since you don’t want to cause friction when you run into him around town, however, you are left sleep-deprived and holding a grudge.

StopMyNeighborsDog.com, a new website launched by industry leader in pet safety and behavior products PetSafe, hopes to bring peace to neighborhood barking disputes by allowing neighbors to subtly spotlight nuisance barking to pet parents politely and anonymously.

Rather than simply investing in earplugs, concerned neighbors may send either an anonymous e-mail or postcard pre-written in a friendly, humorous, or serious tone to the beloved barker’s people, with the option to include tips on controlling nuisance barking and a coupon for a product from PetSafe’s line of bark solution training products.

“One of the most frequent sources of calls to local animal control departments is excessive barking from dogs,” says Randy Boyd, PetSafe President and CEO. “We hope the web site will help ease friction between neighbors and also keep otherwise good dogs from being taken to the pound.” –Sarah Hughes

Check out Animal Planet’s Howl-o-ween Central for all kinds of festive fun. You can rate pet costumes, take a Halloween quiz, and find great tips and recipes for a pet Halloween party.

Congratulations to Mike and his guardian, Betsy Fessler of Campbell, CA. Mike is an 8-year-old Rat Terrier.

Fessler adopted Mike from Furry Friends Animal Rescue when he was 4 months old. She met him at an adoption event. “Upon arrival, I fell in love,” she says. “He was too cute.”

Fessler says she found the skunk costume while rummaging through the clearance bin at a local pet store. “I knew the skunk costume was perfect for Mike, considering his size and his coloring of mostly black and white to match the costume,” Fessler says. “But the costume didn’t have any packaging or any price.” When she went to purchase the costume, the cashier didn’t know the price either. He eventually told her she could have the costume for free if she made a donation to the local animal shelter. “I agreed, made my donation to the shelter at the register, and Mike has been proudly sporting it each Halloween ever since!” Fessler says.

Thanks to all of our readers who sent in pics of their furry friends’ best Halloween gear.

Mike will receive a faux leather jacket courtesy of Target.

Click here to see more of our favorite entries.

Want to make your pumpkin look like a Pug?

Check out BHG.com/dogvote to find free pumpkin carving patterns for 13 different dog breeds. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite!

There’s also a fun video from the shoot!

October is National Fire Prevention Month. According to fire detection systems provider Protection One, Inc., more than 40,000 family pets die every year in house fires. In an effort to prevent such tragedies, the company is giving away pet safety decals free to pet guardians. The decals affix to a front door or window where they can be easily noticed in case of an emergency, alerting firefighters that a pet or pets are living in a home.

For your free decal and for more fire safety tips for pets, visit ProtectionOne.com/pets. —Sarah Hughes

No, this is not some kind of Pokemon! It’s an Axolotl, a Mexican neotenic mole salamander. Check out the Huffington Post for more weird-looking animals!

Think your pet has a great costume? Show us! We’re looking for the dog, cat, or other animal companion with the coolest Halloween costume. Email a picture of your pet in his or her spook-wear to Halloween@TailsInc.com, and we’ll pick a winner to feature in our next e-newsletter (and on the blog!). Please include your name, pet’s name, location, and email address in your email.

The winner will also receive this suave faux leather jacket for their dog courtesy of Target! It’ll keep your pup stylin’ and warm at the same time!

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, Oct. 20, so enter now!

The holidays are just around the corner! It’s never too early to get some shopping done. With Saving Shelter Pets, Inc.’s online auction, you can bid on great items from autographed books to luxurious vacations while supporting Saving Shelter Pets, Inc’s spay and neuter program. The auction runs Oct. 12-Oct. 26, so bid now!

Recently the Supreme Court announced that it will decide next term whether videos of animal cruelty and dogfighting are constitutionally protected by the First Amendment guaranteeing free speech. What do you think? Tell us in the comments!