Little Rock city leaders give pet safety tips for July 4 holiday

LITTLE ROCK. Ark, – As people prepare to pop fireworks heading into the 4th of July, Little Rock city leaders are reminding them of the importance of pet safety.

Stray dogs are a year-round problem, but that number increases each year on July 5 because of the overnight fireworks on the holiday.

Little Rock Animal Shelter manager Benard Bracely says each year over 100 dogs go missing. This year he’s hoping that the number is reduced as people take precautions.

“Most of them are found roaming the streets roaming neighborhoods and the city would bring them in and say hey I found this stray,” Bracely said.

He says it’s an ongoing battle that animal shelter leaders fight with daily.

They are marking July 5 as their peak day.

Bracely says dogs typically are afraid of fireworks, so they react accordingly.

“The fireworks kind of frighten them and get them scared, then a lot of pet injuries occur because dogs are curious and they’ll run up on them and try to bite them and the fireworks explode,” Bracely said.

He says the day after the holiday is always chaotic after seeing lots of injured or runaway dogs.

Bracely says owners should keep their pets inside or in a designated area away from fireworks.

“Make sure it has all its rabies shots, city license and microchips so we can identify it and get your pet back to you as soon as possible,” Bracely said in case yours mistakenly gets loose.

He says people should also ensure their dog collars have numbers and home addresses on them, and if your pet does come up missing after the holiday, they’ll be open Friday and Saturday starting at 10 am,  or you can just come to the shelter to see if your pet is there.

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