Scared dog
A dog hides under a bed during fireworks. Photo courtesy PETA

The San Diego Humane Society Friday urged residents to volunteer their homes as foster spaces for the influx of animals typically lost after Fourth of July.

Beginning July 1, the society will begin providing animal services to six additional cities: Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, San Diego, Santee and Solana Beach.

The Humane Society’s annual care burden is expected to rise from roughly 30,000 animals to more than 50,000, and space will be even tighter with the necessity to shelter the lost and stray animals that appear after presumably being spooked by Independence Day fireworks.

“We’re doing all we can to empty our shelters to make space for more animals that will be coming very soon,” said Jennifer Brehler, humane society chief operating officer.

Visit sdhumane.org/foster to become a foster volunteer. The society will provide the training and supplies needed to care for a new pet.

“Every animal that’s placed into a foster home makes space for another animal who is in urgent need of our care. By opening up their homes, foster volunteers significantly expand our shelter’s capacity to take in more vulnerable animals from the community and from other shelters,” Brehler said. “Plus, it gives us invaluable information about how that pet behaves in a home that we can pass along to potential adopters.”

— City News Service

Chris Jennewein is Editor & Publisher of Times of San Diego.