At least Freddy Krueger was limited to the dream life of a few select friends and neighbors on Elm Street. Fido Krueger, on the other hand, haunts the waking life of innocents in the market for that perfect Halloween pumpkin.

From a reader:

"I have a pumpkin patch, and my dog attacks people and their pets while they're browsing. What can I do?"

In today's turbulent economic times, setting Fido Krueger free to terrorize the local pumpkin patch might not be the best way to boost sales. The important question here is: Am I in the business of selling pumpkins or getting sued?

A brief conversation with the poser of that question opened the door to a litany of excuses:

"I was hoping he would stop."

"He doesn't do it all the time."

"I love him so much."

"He's really well-behaved except for this."

Bottom line: This is your livelihood. Fido K. can and should stay home until he's well-behaved in a way that doesn't involve drawing blood. Leave that to the vampires.

In fact, this being the week leading up to Halloween, it's time to revisit reasons to leave even those dogs with the very best manners at home, inside, safe, sound and secure.

First off, the fringe criminal minds for whom Halloween is both a reason and an excuse to steal, torture, poison or even kill dogs and cats left vulnerable in yards make it mandatory that pets be kept inside on fright night. Personally, I believe pets should always be kept inside at night. They are safer that way, and you are safer for having them there.

Even inside, though, pets should not have the freedom to roam the house that they normally might. Dinging doorbells, flickering lights, opening and closing doors, and strange sounds and sights are enough to agitate the calmest of animals. A dog that normally wouldn't dream of darting out the front door might get the urge on a night when his routine is so dramatically altered.

Here are a few more cautionary measures that will help keep your pets safe this Halloween:

— Keep pets indoors.

— Walk dogs early in the evening, before trick-or-treaters hit the streets. Wings, masks, capes, sabers, costumes of any kind can be frightening to your pooch. And if you walk your dog after the festivities, watch out for candy and wrappers he may swallow.

— When inside, keep him comfortable and in a room away from the front door.

— If you want him to play sidekick as you greet trick-or-treaters, keep him on a leash. Strangers, noise and costumes are stressors that can set off even a normally placid family pet. A child could get bit, or your dog could bolt outside and get hit by a car.

— Keep candy, chocolate, candy wrappers, candles and jack-o-lanterns up high and out of reach. They are all dangerous — potentially fatal — for dogs.

— Make sure your pet's ID tag is current and includes your phone number.

— Resist the urge to costume him. If you absolutely must, nothing with a mask. He should be able to breathe, hear, see and drink water with ease at all times.

— And one more time for emphasis: Keep 'em inside. All night long. All of 'em — dogs, cats, whatever.

Woof!

Dog trainer Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis is co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and host of the PBS series "WOOF! It's a Dog's Life!" Read all of Uncle Matty's columns at the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Send your questions to dearuncle.gazette@unclematty.com or by mail to Uncle Matty at P.O. Box 3300, Diamond Springs, CA 95619.

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