Both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County animal shelters are seeing more pets coming through their doors following the Fourth of July celebrations.
“Instead of having like one big peak where we get slammed with a lot of stuff right at once, it becomes busy over the next several days," said Eric Anderson, San Luis Obispo County Animal Services Manager.
Local animal shelters need the community’s help to make sure that missing pets are reunited with their families.
Just on Wednesday, July 5, SLO County Animal Services had calls for dog pick-ups, a litter of puppies, and even a stray goat.
“We get stray reports all the time anyway. That's part of our normal business. It just seems to be increased after the July 4th holiday. Animals might've been frightened by fireworks then ran off from home," Anderson said.
The increase in animals is being seen across the board.
“We have seen an increase in cats and dogs, specifically in lots of ferals," said Esme Medina with Santa Barbara County Animal Services.
Although both county shelters say it’s too early to know the exact number of animals coming in, they do know the number of animals coming in will go up.
“The numbers are very different to track just because animals as they're coming in, we are receiving a lot of redemptions, which is great. People are reclaiming their animals, but it's nonstop. We see a flood of animals coming in a few days prior to the 4th of July, as well as days after the 4th of July," Medina explained.
If you are a pet owner missing an animal, here are some tips from SLO County Animal Services:
- Check in with your local shelters
- File a missing animal report
- Search your neighborhood
- Post on social media to get the word out
“It's important that you come into the shelter and look through the shelter to see if your pet is here. You can check our web page and it'll give you a listing of all the animals that are found and in the shelter currently, as well as those that have been reported to us by people that have found the lost animal and are holding onto it," Anderson said.
“We are not charging any redemption fees at this time. Just the licensing fees that are applied by our state and local law. We don't want that to be a barrier with any family. If you are looking for your animal, please come to our shelter," Medina said.
Animal Service officials add pet owners should continue to check daily for their missing pet either on their website or through their social media platforms.
