Shelters hope to reunite pets lost following 4th of July

JOPLIN, Mo. (KOAM) - 4th of July weekend is often filled with barbeques and fireworks, but the festivities aren't always fun for everyone.

"The fireworks are very stressful for dogs. It's something that scares a lot of them off,” says Thomas Jay with the Joplin Humane Society.

According to the American Kennel Club , some animal shelters across the country report an intake increase of roughly 30% in the days following the holiday.

Staff at the Joplin Humane Society say while they do not see as drastic of a surge in strays being brought in as one might assume, there is still a notable increase.

“They are much more likely to escape because people have to travel and they're going out to see the sights and the fireworks are very stressful for dogs," says Jay. "It's something that scares a lot of them off. But I would say that the summer in general is when we see a higher intake rate just overall.“

He says the shelter has already seen owners calling to look for their lost loved ones. Shelter staff say the best thing pet owners can do during this time of year is make sure their pet is microchipped and has updated contact information on their collar.

“The average individual who might not know to look for a microchip, they still have that number that they can call and try to reunite that pet as soon as possible.”

Shelter workers say there are certain steps community members can take to help lost pets themselves this holiday season.

“Just take it to a vet or to like the shelter here. We will scan it for a microchip and see if there is any information," says Jay. "You can post it on things like Next Door, Facebook. Try and find the owner that way. And I would also just encourage you to go out in the area you found it. Knock on doors. Say, have you seen this dog? Do you know who might own it? Because, the likelihood is it lives in that area.”

Shelter staff recommend trying to keep pets inside in the coming days as fireworks go off and to avoid taking them to large public gatherings where they might be encouraged to run away.

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