Frightened runaways are a frequent side effect of noisy 4th of July celebrations. Every year fireworks cause an alarming uptick in lost pets.
The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, at 1001 Rodriguez St. (7th Ave. and Rodriguez St. in Santa Cruz), is the only open-admission, full-service facility set up to receive and care for lost pets at both its Santa Cruz and Watsonville shelters.
Staff there understand how stressful losing a pet can be and go to great efforts to return animals to their owners.
The Santa Cruz and Watsonville Shelters will be closed on July 3 in observance of the holiday. To provide a safe haven for lost pets and their return to their homes, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter will be open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, July 4.
Here are some guidelines to protect your pet during the holiday:
- Don’t take your pet to fireworks displays. The explosions of the fireworks are loud to the human ear. Imagine how loud it sounds to your dog, who can hear sounds up to 60,000 cycles per second — that’s three times greater than the human ear can even register.
- Do not leave your pet in the car. With only hot air to breathe inside a car, your pet can suffer serious health effects, even death, in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air, but do provide an opportunity for your pet to be stolen.
- Keep your pets indoors in a sheltered, quiet area. Some animals become destructive when frightened, so be sure you’ve removed any items your pet could destroy or may be harmful to your pet if chewed. It’s important that they have a safe, quiet “den-like” place to relax, such as a secure room of the house or blanketed crate. Leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep him/her company if you go out. Shut windows and blinds or curtains.
- Exercise your pet. Tire your dog or cat out with plenty of exercise early in the day.
- If you know that your pet is seriously distressed by loud noises like thunder, consult with your veterinarian before July 4 for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.
- Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. In their fear, pets who normally wouldn’t leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.
- Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly. Animals found running at-large should be taken to the local animal care and control center, where they have the best chance of being reunited with their owners. Two forms of ID are always best when it comes to protecting your pet.
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If an individual finds your pet, the first thing he or she will look for is an ID tag. In Santa Cruz County, if your pet is taken to Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, he/she will be scanned for a microchip, which is permanent identification. Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter offers microchips pets for $15, by appointment. scanimalshelter.org