October 19, 2006 -- The ghoulish holiday is less than two weeks away, and the Humane Society wants to help you keep your animals safe.

Halloween can be a scary time for cats and dogs. Trick or treating kids dressed up in customes can give them a fright.

"I keep them in the yard. My dog stays indoors. I don't let him in the front yard," said East El Pasoan Chris Lopez.

Ellen Taylor the director the El Paso Humane Society, said she hasn't heard of Halloween pranks pulled on pets, but you could never be too sure.

"Halloween can be scary for your dogs. It's a good idea to bring your dog inside. There's little trick or treaters or might be some pumpkin smashers in the neighborhood," said Taylor.

Black colored pets may also be more susceptible to animal cruelty, which is why some shelters temporarily halt their adoption. That's different at the Humane Society where adoptions continue. Taylor said cruelty to animals is not limited to Halloween. It's a problem that can happen 365 days out of the year, but she asks pet owners to be extra vigilant.

"If you're a bad person and you want to get your hands on a black cat, there's a whole other ways to do it. That's why we're encouraging people to keep animals indoors," said Taylor.

Most El Pasoans we talked to say, they're lucky they've never had a bad experience with their pets on Halloween, but that's because they take extra precautions.

"For sure, we're very careful with out kids and our pets," said West El Pasoan Rosie Perez.

Also keep your pets away from the Halloween candy, they can either become very ill or choke with candy wrappers.