People associate loud noises, flashes, and big bangs with celebrations, but pets do not. For this reason, July 5th is the busiest day of the year for animal shelters according to the American Humane Association. Many people who leave their pets at home while they are out celebrating forget to close opens doors, gates, or windows which causes many scared pets to run away and flee. Many of these scared pets end up lost, injured, or killed due to the high stress of the Holiday. It may seem obvious but here is a list of things you can do to be sure your pet is safe this holiday season.
- Bring your pet inside and keep them indoors at all times
- Don’t put insect repellant on your pet that isn’t pet friendly
- If traveling to a fireworks display, leave your pet at home and not in the car
- Have your pet properly identified in case they get lost
- Keep your pet away from glow in the dark sticks or other festive ornaments they might chew
- Never use fireworks around pets
- Don’t over-feed your pet or give them table food
- Never leave alcohol unattended where pets can reach them
- Close the blinds and curtains so they can’t see the lights
- Leave on a fan, TV, or radio to block out the outside noise
- Distract your pet with a lot of toys
There are over 63% of lost pets euthanized each year at animal shelters because they could not be properly identified and returned to their owners. The Thomas Nicholl Law Firm encourages everyone to please keep your pets safe this holiday season, because even if they do not fear thunder, fireworks can be really terrifying for a pet!