Love Your Country, Love Your Dog: Keep Pets Safe Over July 4th Weekend
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- To us, fireworks are the sparkling embodiment of July Fourth. But to dogs, they truly are bombs bursting in air.
The pops and explosions, raucous block parties and other loud noises during holiday festivities can scare dogs into leaping over or digging under fences to escape the thunderous blasts, leading them to get lost or injured.
Keep Pets Safe Over July 4th Weekend
A New Jersey resident named Samantha said her two Golden Retrievers, named Bonnie and Clyde, hate the holiday.
"My family throws a big party, we set off fireworks and someone has to stay inside with them the whole time because they get really nervous," she told 1010 WINS' Rebecca Granet.
Many seasoned animal lovers know to keep their dogs inside, but many pets are still running away or getting killed by cars as they bolt blindly from the noise.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says more pets go missing over the Fourth of July weekend than any other time of year.
The populations of many shelters will also increase 30 percent over the holiday weekend, according to the animal safety group Found Animals.
Below are some tips to keep your pets safe while celebrating Independence Day:
- If you are going to see live fireworks displays, leave pets at home. The crowds, commotion and loud sounds can be stressful. Dogs in stressful situations may also bite.
- Make sure your pets are safely at home in a quiet, secure area and provide them with familiar toys, blankets or beds. A crate or a room will help keep dogs and cats who want to be left alone happy.
- Crank up music or the television to mask the sound of fireworks.
- Provide water and food: Fear makes dogs pant, and unfamiliar food makes them anxious.
- If you and your pet are invited to a July fourth picnic or BBQ celebration, remember that alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison pets, so never leave your beverage unattended. Avoid giving your pets raisins, grapes, onions, chocolate and products with the sweetener xylitol, all of which are toxic, according the ASPCA.
- Never leave your pet alone in the car, even with the windows rolled down. In just a matter of minutes, temperatures inside a parked car can reach dangerous levels.
- Always make sure that your pets have appropriate and current identification and microchips so if they do get lost, they can be quickly returned.
- Don't leave them outside where they jump or dig to escape the yard.
There are also apps and online programs that can actually locate lost dogs, ranging from GPS-enabled collars, which allow owners to track pets from their phones or computers, to apps such as Finding Rover, which uses facial recognition software to match photos of lost dogs to those in shelters.
Plus, pet recovery services such as FindToto.com will call area shelters, vets and neighbors for a fee.
For more information from the ASPCA on how to keep your pets safe during the holiday, click here.
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