This Fourth of July week, more than 200 animals are pining for independence from shelter kennels.
It’s hard to know what led an adult Beagle named Walley, or Peanut Butter the Poodle, to the Denver Animal Shelter this week because they can’t tell their stories.
It’s a good bet, though, that they ran off from home in fear of Independence Day fireworks.
DAS has seen an increase of animals since Monday, when the booms first started.
Melanie Sobel, DAS Director of Denver Animal Protection, said this is always the busiest week of the year for the only Denver area shelter that never turns an animal away, be it a dog, a cat, a sparrow or a guinea pig.
“Summer is our busiest time, and our kennels are full right now,” she said.
Why do dogs seem more sensitive to the sounds of America's loudest holiday?
“Their hearing is way more acute than ours is. They don’t like unpredictable noises, and there’s no way to explain to them what’s happening," said Sobel.
Cats are also affected by the week-long human celebrations. Moon, Zeta, Cletus and Samson are all stray cats that good animal Samaritans found this week and brought to DAS, sometimes leaving them in overnight kennels to be found by staff the next morning.
Here is the list of animals, classified as strays , that are at DAS as of Friday morning:
• Monday, July 1: Two birds, six cats and 35 dogs — which Sobel said is “an extremely high number.”
• Tuesday, July 2: Thirteen cats and 18 dogs.
• Wednesday, July 3: Nine cats and 13 dogs.
• Thursday, July 4: Five cats and 13 dogs
• Friday, July 5: DAS received 10 animals in their overnight kennels waiting for staff when they came to work for the day.
In all, Sobel said DAS has 217 animals in its care including strays and adoptable animals.
"It does vary because we could get a mom and a litter of kittens, which could be several animals from the same location," explained Sobel. "But these latest strays are all from different addresses, so they aren’t litters."
Denver Animal Shelter has a $50 adoption special for dogs and cats over 1-year-old. To encourage pet owners to identify their animals, a program called "Dude Where's My Cat" provides free microchips for cats brought in a carrier. Microchips can cost from $25-$60 depending on who performs the service.
Denver Dumb Friends League
The Denver Dumb Friends League also saw a large influx of strays this week, including a Mastiff (name unknown), Oliver the pug, several cats and even a black-and-brown Python snake.
There are currently 176 available animals at the League, including horses, guinea pigs and even a duck.
Check Denver Animal Shelter or Denver Dumb Friends League online if you’re missing a pet.
Jodie Foster, an 11-year-old cat, thanks you. So does Bruno the juvenile Cane Corso, Cancun the Silk Terrier mix and a red-white-and-blue bowtie-wearing adult Maltese Pekingese named Adonis. Oh, and a lizard named Sir Boop, and Chirps the parakeet.
Donations are always encouraged .
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