To make sure the only thing your dog suffers this Halloween is the indignity of wearing a silly costume, we offer the following safety tips, culled from the ASPCA and the American Kennel Club.

First off, if you are one of the 10 percent of Halloweeners that are putting your pet in a costume, make sure it fits properly, doesn't obstruct seeing, hearing or breathing, and that it has no small pieces that could be broken off or be swallowed.

On top of that, the AKC recommends you be careful about any open flames, inside or outside. Make sure candles and jack-o-lanterns are kept where neither the dog, nor the costume might come in contact with them.

Keep chocolate and other candies out of your pets' reach. Chocolate can be toxic for dogs, and other candies and gums contain large amounts of the sweetener xylitol, which can be toxic to pets, especially dogs, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruely to Animals. Ingestion can produce a fairly sudden drop in blood sugar. It's a good idea to keep pets away from candy wrappers as well, the ASPCA says.

The AKC recommends getting your walk in early. That will lessen the chance of your dog getting into any discarded candy, or the remnants of any pranks, such as broken eggs. It also lessens the possibility that so many loud children in strange costumes will freak him out.

If your dog is going to greet trick or treaters -- as my dog Ace insists on doing -- be sure to keep him on a leash, the AKC says, and don't leave him unattended outside, even if he is behind a fence.

The ASPCA says it's a good idea to keep any extra close eye on pets, and to be sure your pet is wearing his tags. With all the opening and closing of the front door on Halloween, it increases the chances of dogs escaping and getting lost.

Follow this link for the complete list of the ASPCA's Halloween tips.