‘There’s a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety’: Already overwhelmed shelters take in runaway dogs from Fourth of July

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Fireworks illuminated Kern County skies during the Fourth of July holiday, but not everyone is a fan of the display…especially dogs.

The fear fireworks instill often leads to many dogs running away and ending up in our already overwhelmed, local shelters. Dozens of posts on several local Facebook groups ask the same question: Have you seen my dog?

Joshua Proctor with the Bakersfield Animal Care Center, says the shelter opened early due to the influx of dogs from the Fourth of July holiday and the number of concerned callers asking the same question.

“An hour before we even opened we already had a line at the door with people who had found dogs,” said Procter.

In 2023, around the Fourth of July holiday, the city shelter took in nearly 200 dogs in just one week, and only 20 were returned to their owners. Bakersfield Animal Care Center is already dealing with a overpopulation problem and Proctor says the center is trying to avoid making difficult decisions with this latest influx of dogs.

“Overwhelmed is an understatement, there’s a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety,” said Proctor. “I mean even last night, with every firework that went off, we knew there was a dog that was stressing out. I knew there was a dog trying to escape and I knew that I couldn’t do anything about it.”

We also reached out to Kern County Animal Services and the director confirmed the shelter is also dealing with the same problem…people looking for their lost pets. Proctor says as more dogs come into shelters throughout the County, the next few days will be emotional for pet owners as they search for their animals.

“They’re scared for their dog, they don’t know if their dog is going to be here,” said Proctor. “They don’t know if it’s in someone else’s home or if it’s still running the streets, especially in this heat. It causes a little extra stress because we’re already seeing dogs experience heat exhaustion and heat stroke, this Fourth of July is harder than last Fourth of July.”

Proctor didn’t have a specific number yet for how many dogs they are seeing come in so far, but they expect more dogs to come in over the weekend.

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