Animal control officials across the country report a 30-60% increase in lost pets each year between July 4th and 6th. July 5th is one of the busiest days of the year for shelters.
Whether the neighbor has firecrackers or your community is enjoying a big fireworks display, the noise associated with July 4th celebrations can cause your pet to become frantic and run away, trying to find a safe haven.
Make sure your pet is wearing a collar with identification. If your pet is micro-chipped, make sure your contact information is up to date, and registered with the micro-chip company. (See below for more information).
Here are some helpful tips to help ease the stress for pets on July 4th
Schedule a Pre-Fireworks Workout
- Going for a long hike or spending time playing with pals during the day will help wear out your dog before the fireworks begin.
A dog that’s mentally and physically exhausted might be less likely to react to fireworks, so plan a day of fun activities that will leave your dog ready for a snooze.
Schedule Meals and Potty Time Early
- It’s important to time your dog’s dinner and potty trips well in advance of nightfall, since fireworks typically start as soon as the sun sets. There’s nothing worse than a dog that’s scared of fireworks that needs a potty break but is too terrified to step out the door.
Give your dog enough time to finish his dinner, digest and potty before the noise begins so that he’s not forced to hold it during an already stressful period.
Muffle the Noise
- Plug in a white noise machine, a fan, or turn on some calming music loud enough so that the fireworks are camouflaged.
If your dog’s “safe zone” is his crate, you can also cover the top, sides, and back with a thick blanket and play music or sounds for him. Just make sure your dog can leave the crate if he wants to.
Keep Your Pup Occupied During Fireworks
- Provide distraction by giving your dog something delicious to focus on during fireworks, like a KONG Classic dog toy filled with dog food, or treats, a little water, and then freeze it. A frozen KONG treat lasts longer.
Try a Dog Anxiety Vest
- Much like swaddling helps to calm infants, a snug garment that puts gentle pressure on your dog’s torso can reduce fireworks anxiety.
Get your dog used to wearing a pressure wrap—like a dog anxiety vest—before fireworks so that by the time the event arrives, your dog will be comfortable with the garment.
You can either make your own by wrapping stretchy fabric around your dog’s shoulders and chest (make sure it’s not so tight that it restricts blood flow or the ability to breathe) or opt for a ThunderShirt that uses a patented “hugging” design to help reduce stress from dog fireworks anxiety.
Microchip Information continued
How to Check and Update Your Pet’s Microchip Information:
Checking & updating your contact info for your pet’s registered microchip is simple:
Again, the importance of regularly checking and updating your pet’s microchip registry information cannot be overstated. A great many microchipped pets wind up in shelters and never make it back home to be reunited with their people after getting lost solely because nobody can track down and get in touch with the owners due to unregistered or out-of-date contact information! So, without further ado, here are steps for checking and updating your contact information with your pet’s microchip registry…
Step 1: Get Your Pet’s Microchip NUMBER
Don’t have their microchip number handy? Call your vet’s office, they may well have it in their records OR bring your pet into your vet’s office, animal shelter, or animal control to have them scanned (there shouldn’t be any charge for this). And hopefully they’re using a “universal scanner,” as not all microchips work on the same frequency.
Step 2: Get Your Pet’s Microchip TYPE/BRAND
Can’t recall the type/brand? Lost the original paperwork? You can call your vet’s office or the shelter/rescue where you adopted your pet, they may well have it in their records. But it’s even easier and faster to look up your pet’s microchip number on the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup site — you plug in the number, and the site will tell you if and with which registry the chip is registered (example below), when it was last updated, and provide the necessary information about how to get in touch to check and update your contact information.
https://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/about_aaha/microchip_lookup_tool/default.aspx
Participating Microchipping and Pet Recovery Services
Currently, these companies are incorporated into the tool:
24PetWatch Pet Protection Services
911PetChip & Free Pet Chip Registry
ACA MARRS
AKC Reunite
BC Pet Registry
BeKind PetFind
BuddyID™
EIDAP
Found Animals
Furreka
HomeAgain
Homeward Bound Pet
InfoPET
International Pet Registry
Microchip I.D. Solutions
Nanochip ID Inc.
National Animal Identification Center
PetKey
PetLink
Petstablished
Save This Life
SmartTag Microchip
