The Fourth of July is famous for bringing people together, as well as fireworks. However, not every member of the family enjoys the displays.
Jamie Relth, Communications Manager for Woods Humane Society, said, "The 4th of July comes with fireworks, which are a great fun display for us people, but they're really loud. And dogs and cats have a really good sense of hearing, so they can actually hear much better than we can, and so those loud noises are even louder and scarier to some of them.”
Experts recommend speaking with your veterinarian ahead of the holiday, especially if your pet is prone to anxiety or is known to be frightened by loud noises.
Dr. Eric Anderson, Animal Services Manager for the County of San Luis Obispo, says they see an increase in animals coming to the shelter around this time.
“So we normally tend to see an increase in the animals that are reported as been lost right around the 4th of July, usually the first couple of days before that and then following as well. And we've certainly seen an uptick in the number of animals coming into the shelter at that time of year as well," he told KSBY.
People can file reports for their missing animals by visiting the county website here.
Relth says there are ways to keep your animals safe during the holiday.
“Make sure they're secure inside so that they can't get out, and it really helps to stay with them, to comfort them. You can close the blinds, close the curtains, put on some like nice soothing music or play the TV so that it kind of masks some of the noise.”
According to Relth, cats are likely to hide nearby, whereas dogs often run farther away, searching for a safe place.
“If you lose a pet, the best thing to do is to start looking for them, to tell your neighbors, put up signs, and notify Animal Services or the county animal shelter,” she added.
People can invest in collars with an ID tag, and microchipping is also recommended.
Pet owners can go to Woods Humane Society to get their pets microchipped. To make a microchip appointment, call Woods SLO at (805) 543-9316 or Woods North County at (805) 466-5403 or visit their website.
“If you're going out to observe fireworks or other activities and parties, really leave your animals at home. They really don't enjoy that. And as much as we like to take them with us, that probably is not one event to take them to,” Dr. Anderson concluded.
