Each pet owner is aware of the fact that animals get easily spooked by fireworks. Pets, particularly dogs, often run away due to fear caused by the high pitched sounds of firecrackers. And because of this, the day after holiday i.e. July 5, is generally the busiest day of the year for animal shelters.
Cities Animal Control unit observes a notable uptick in calls this past holiday weekend. During last year, compared to June, the weekend of the Fourth of July saw roughly 150 more stray dogs. Animals without a tag or microchip are taken to the Animal Shelter from where their owners can find them. If not reunited with their family, pets would be potentially put up for adoption.
So on July 5th, while many people relax after enjoying festivities of Independence Day or prepare for weekend fun, the pet owners desperately search for their lost pets, who were frightened by their neighbor’s late-night firecracker marathon on Independence day and ran away. Volunteers and staff member at various animal shelters all across the country would already be prepped up for the busy day and one among them is Animal Shelter League City.
Now if you are a pet owner, don’t get tensed in this situation, just follow these precautionary measures to make sure your pet family member doesn’t get added to the runaway list stats on this weekend.
Make sure that your pets are safe inside the home and probably behind secured doors. And while fireworks are bursting, you can try and negotiate the noise by playing soothing music. In any case, don’t leave them outdoors unsupervised. There have been cases wherein dogs tends to get startled and frightened by the loud bangs of the firecrackers and jump across the yard barricades in order to escape from the noise. Tying them in a lease will not be a good option as animals do get scared and there have been noted cases of them being strangled in order to break free. Last but not least, before leaving for any party or attending any parades, make sure your pets are having up-to-date identification tags and if available, the microchips data too should be updated with the latest and correct contact details, just in the worst case of them running away and getting lost.
In case, if such an unfortunate thing happens then the best possible place to visit with your pet will be Veterinary Care League City, where your pet will be helped with a complete checkup and best treatment post this traumatizing experience.
