WICHITA FALLS ( KFDX/KJTL ) — After a festive night of Fourth of July celebrations, several lost pets have arrived at the Humane Society of Wichita County.

While noisy fireworks displays are exciting for humans, pets have vastly different opinions on the shows. And, as the fireworks continue into the weekend, Director Cheryl Heineken shared tips on how to keep your pets calm during times of heightened noise and celebrations.

Heineken said the best plan of action boils down to three areas: early preparation, identification, and calming techniques.

Fireworks are pretty scary for most animals, so it’s always best to keep your animals indoors if possible, Heineken advised. If that’s not possible, then make sure they have identification on them, such as a collar with name and address, and get them microchipped.

She said it’s important to monitor their behavior; for example, if you know your pet is afraid of thunder, then they’ll likely be afraid of fireworks.

Plus, preventative measures like calming drugs are a good idea, and if you know your pet is scared of fireworks, you should make a vet appointment at least three weeks ahead of time to get the proper medication.

“There are several medications out there that will help calm your animal down during the fireworks, and they’ll tell you how to administer those,” Heineken said. “You also want to make sure that you keep your pet indoors, maybe keep it in a kennel and maybe put a blanket over it to help with some of the sound or turn the TV up super loud, so maybe it can’t hear some of those booms.”

As the community reflects on another Independence Day, the Humane Society of Wichita County continues to stress the importance of responsible pet ownership and community awareness.

For more tips on animal safety, visit the Humane Society of Wichita County’s Improving the Lives of Companion Animals write-up.

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