These tips are from the MSPCA so that the summer BBQ season starts off safe for all pets (link available below list):

1. Heat Stroke: Pets are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Provide shade and plenty of potable water for your pet to drink. Never leave them in your car.

2. Skewers: Keep barbecue skewers out of your pet’s reach before they end up in their stomach.

3. Garbage: Securely place all trash in garbage bins to prevent your pet from eating tasty “leftovers” including corn cobs and bones.

4. Plants: Keep your pet away from garden poisons including compost, toxic plants and slug bait.

5. Guests: Speak with guests about what your pet can and cannot eat. Several foods to avoid include fatty sausages (pancreatitis), chocolate from s’mores (chocolate toxicity) and mushrooms (mushroom toxicity can prove fatal to certain dog breeds).

6. Cars: Keep your pet in a secure location. The street can bring such dangers as hit by car traumas and deadly antifreeze ingestion (ethylene glycol toxicity).

7. Fire: Not all backyard chefs utilize the traditional barbecue. Pets can be badly burned in pit fires and camp fires. Do not allow your pet near any open flames.

8. Pets: Before bringing your pet to a barbecue or allowing guests to bring theirs, make sure you know if all of the animals will get along or if it is best to leave your pet safely indoors.

9. Windows/Balconies: If you are opening the windows of your house or apartment, be sure to keep the screens in place so that your pet does not go outdoors unnoticed. It is also important to keep screens in place and your pet off of balconies to avoid falls that can prove fatal.

http://www.mspca.org/site/News2?news_iv_ctrl=-1&page=NewsArticle&id=11635&bbqtopboxlink