KEEP YOUR PETS SAFE ON THE FOURTH, BY KEEPING THEM AT HOME
WENATCHEE- The Fourth of July can be a fun day, sunshine, barbeques, swimming, music and, of course, fireworks. While entertaining for people, it can be terrifying for your pets. Many pets are frightened by fireworks and escape from homes, yards or kennels due to panic.
Every year, Wenatchee Valley Animal Care and Control (ACC) sees a significant rise in lost animals around the days leading up to the Fourth of July and for the days immediately following the celebration.
Shiloh Schauer, Chair of the Wenatchee Valley Fourth of July Committee, said the ‘Let’s Have a Blast’ Celebration at Walla Walla Point Park has seen an increase in frightened and lost dogs during the festival.
“Last year, our event team experienced a significant increase of lost and frighten dogs being turned in throughout the day. These fury friends clearly were not strays, they had just become separated from their owners.” Schauer explain. “We were all shocked by the number of terrified dogs being turned in during the firework performance.”
Dawn Davies, Executive Director for Wenatchee Valley Humane Society (WVHS) reminds pet owners that the Fourth is a holiday for pets to stay home. “It’s a stressful day. Crowds, heat, and sudden loud noises are all things that can cause even the friendliest, relaxed dog distress. And distress can cause animals to react negatively or panic and run.”
Davies also reminds pet owners that a current pet license and identification tags is so important. “This year we switched our licensing tags to PetHub digital pet ID tags and, as long as the owner has registered it, can help anyone contact a lost pet’s owner.”
“These new tags give community members the chance to help which means pets get home faster and never have to come to the shelter.” Davies notes this is extremely helpful for all involved, since the Fourth is ACC’s busiest day of the year.
WVHS offers the following tips for keeping your pet safe and stress-free for on the Fourth:
Make sure your pets are in a secure space with something soft to curl up with and music softly playing.
Secure doors and windows.
Do not bring pets to any outdoor festivities where they cannot be secured and safe.
Make sure any tags or identification is up to date (if you have a 2018 PetHub license, make sure you’ve registered it for free with them).
Take your pet for a nice walk or have play time. A tired pet, is a relaxed pet.
If your pet becomes lost or you find a lost pet, contact ACC to file a report at 509-662-9577 or file one online, where you can also view photos of found animals. A visit to the shelter on July 5th, to see if your pet was brought in by ACC or a concerned citizen is also recommended.
About WVHS
Founded in 1967, the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society (WVHS) is a private non-profit organization with a mission is to serve the community through education, protection and pet adoptions. We continue our mission by caring for displaced pets, rescuing injured and lost animals, providing a low cost spay/neuter program, hosting a pet food assistance bank, offering a Pets for Life program, investigating cruelties and finding homes for the orphaned animals. If you would like to volunteer, donate, or more information on how you can help, email wvhs@wenatcheehumane.org or call (509) 662-9577.
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