While we humans enjoy the July 4 spectacle, oohing and aahing over the colorful fireworks, some very important family members face very real danger.
The Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe reminds us that because of the fireworks, more family pets will run away from home this holiday weekend than during any other time of the year.
The center offers these five tips for keeping your pets safe and secure on July 4:
- Do not bring your pets to a fireworks display
- Take your pets indoors before the fireworks begin
- Make sure that your pets have access to a favorite “safe place” or find a quiet, comfortable, enclosed room where your pets can “hide” if they need to
- If you are going to a fireworks display and leaving your pets at home alone, leave the radio or television set on so there is some “normal” background noise
- Make sure your pets are microchipped. Many of the pets that run away during the fireworks will escape by slipping out of their collars. A microchip identification will assure that your pet is returned if it ends up at a shelter.
The Helen Woodward Animal Center’s adoptions department will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the 4th of July.
