The San Diego Humane Society and the county’s Animal Services Department are reminding residents they should keep pets indoors Thursday evening as fireworks are frightening to animals, causing them to flee and be lost or injured.
It is recommended that pets be kept indoors with access to an area in the house where they feel safe and are protected from the noise and light of fireworks.
Pets should also be microchipped, and have an identification tag to ensure that they can be located if they do escape their homes.
“There is typically a spike in the number of stray animals that we receive the day after July Fourth,” SDHS President and CEO Gary Weitzman said. “That’s why it is so important for pet parents to plan ahead, and make sure their animals are safe during the celebrations.”
Lost pets in the county’s unincorporated areas can be reported to the county’s 24-hour emergency line at 619-236-2341.
For residents within the county’s incorporated cities, the San Diego Humane Society’s facilities in San Diego, Escondido and Oceanside will open at 9 a.m. on Friday to receive stray pets.
For more information, visit www.sdhumane.org.
–City News Service