Be prepared before fireworks frighten fido

By Dr. Beth Leermakers

Animal shelter staff and volunteers hold their breath and cross their fingers as the Fourth of July approaches. More pets go missing July 4-6 than any other time of year. Animal control officials across the nation report a 30 percent-60 percent increase in lost pets each year between those dates. These lost pets often wind up in shelters, which are already full, endangering the lives of all the shelter animals.

I recently learned how stressful it is to have a beloved pet go missing. Roxy, my foster dog, got lost while she was traveling up to her rescue group in Wisconsin. While she was being transferred from one van to another in Minneapolis, scared Roxy slipped out of her collar and took off into a nearby neighborhood. The volunteer transporters had to deliver 19 dogs to the rescue group 4 1/2 hours away, so they couldn’t spend much time looking for her. Making matters worse, Roxy hadn’t been microchipped yet. 

Prevention is the best strategy. To keep your fur baby from becoming a lost-pet statistic:

Keep your pets indoors over the holiday weekend. Many animals are frightened by fireworks and thunderstorms and may break through your fence. Unfortunately, too many people ignore this obvious safety precaution. You should also keep your dog inside during thunderstorms and extreme temperatures. Cats should always stay inside, to protect them from cars, predators and other dangers. Be sure your doors are securely closed. 

Microchip your cat or dog (required by law if you live within Dallas city limits). Be sure to register your microchip and update your contact information when it changes. 

When an animal shelter or veterinarian scans an animal’s chip, they record the microchip ID number and contact the microchip directory to get the owner’s contact information. Unlike collars and ID tags, microchips are permanent and cannot fall off or get lost. Dogs that are microchipped are 238 percent more likely to make it back home, and cats are 2,000 percent more likely! Dallas Animal Services (bedallas90.org) offers microchipping services for $10 by appointment.

Put an ID tag on your pet’s snugly-fitting collar. If your pet regularly loses his ID tag, try one that has loops on the ends so the tag lies flat on the collar (instead of dangling from it), or buy a collar embroidered with your pet’s name/phone number. 

Check your fence and gates before you let your dog outside — especially after a thunderstorm. 

Lock your gate. Be sure the gate is closed and locked after your yard crew leaves, before you let your dog outside.

Put your pets in another room (with the door closed) when people visit, to prevent them from slipping out the door as you greet visitors.  

Use a sturdy slip leash when traveling with your dog — whether you’re going to the vet or on vacation. If Roxy’s transporter had used a slip lead, she wouldn’t have gotten away. Put your cat in a carrier. 

If You Lose Your Pet

Contact your microchip company to report your missing pet. Home Again sends out Lost Pet alerts to vet clinics, animal shelters and people within 25 miles of where your pet went missing. Be sure the chip company has your correct phone number and email address. 

Call and email animal shelters within a 60-mile radius of where you lost your pet. 

Visit petfinder.com to find area shelters. File a lost pet report and/or send them your pet’s description and photo. Contact the police department if there isn’t a local shelter.

Visit the closest shelters every day. 

Don’t count on the staff to recognize your pet. Dallas Animal Services’ website (bedallas90.org/home/lost/) tells you what to do if your pet goes missing, including submitting a lost pet report through PetHarbor, viewing the shelter’s Stray Pet Page, downloading the Shadow App (shadowapp.com/), using Petco Love Lost (lost.petcolove.org/; uses facial recognition to reunite lost pets with their family), and texting “Lost” to 833-936-0421 (for more information and resources).

Post “lost pet” flyers in the neighborhood/area where your pet went missing. 

Write “Lost Dog/Cat” at the top, in big letters (and possibly in Spanish, too). Include your pet’s name, recent photo and description (sex, color, size, markings, long or short hair, collar color if applicable). 

Don’t assume everyone knows what a particular breed looks like. Offer a reward (don’t indicate the amount). Include your phone number in large numbers. Make index card-size printouts with the same information. Knock on doors of homes and businesses in every direction from where your pet disappeared. 

Leave the cards under doors and on car windshields, and give one to every person you meet.

Post a big sign in your yard, including the same information that’s on your flyers. 

Call and post flyers in nearby vet clinics, grocery stores, pet stores and other businesses.

Don’t chase a lost pet. Chasing them may scare them. Instead, sit on the ground and talk in normal tones, repeating your pet’s name and familiar phrases. A frightened animal will usually stick around, and after a few minutes or hours, come closer and closer.

Post your lost pet online. Pawboost (pawboost.com) shares your missing pet’s information via their lost and found pet Facebook page for your area. Within a few hours of creating a Pawboost alert for Roxy, someone told us he’d found her safe in his yard. 

Don’t give up. Missing pets sometimes turn up weeks or months after they disappear. Keep checking your local shelter. 

Have a happy, safe Fourth of July! LostAndFoundPetsOfDallasTexas/). Within a few hours of creating a Pawboost alert for Roxy, someone told us he’d found her safe in his yard. Here a few other helpful sites and social media boards:  Center for Lost Pets, Craigslist, Fido Finder, Lost Dogs of America, Missing Pet Partnership, PetFBI, Helping Lost Pets and DFW Lost & Found Pets/North Texas (Facebook group). 

Don’t give up. Missing pets sometimes turn up weeks or months after they disappear. Keep checking your local shelter. 

Have a happy, safe 4th of July! 

  Featured