Keep your pets safe this July 4th!

The fourth of July is the ultimate summer celebration for many. It is full of barbecues, pool parties, drinks, and fireworks. But the holiday may be down right nerve wrecking for your fur babies!

In fact more dogs go missing during this weekend than at any other time of the year. Why is this you ask?

There are usually two very good reasons dogs go missing on the 4th:

1. Parties

During many summer holiday celebrations, people are coming in and out of the house, which means your dog or cat may get lost somewhere in the shuffle and find their way outside.

2 Fireworks

sometimes dogs that are outside can be startled by fireworks and in an attempt to run away from the noise or hide from it find themselves far from home.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when celebrating the 4th of July

Keep your pets in a separate room

This way there is no chance of them accidentally getting outside and if they get apprehensive during gatherings they may want to be in a nice, quiet room anyway. Make sure they have a lot to play with and chew on while in the room. You can also keep all the windows closed and curtains drawn that will help muffle the sounds of fireworks. Also leaving the radio or television on may help distract them from any outside noises as well.

Get them microchipped

This is jut in case your pet does manage to make it outside. If they are picked up by the local authorities they can scan them and alert you to their whereabouts

Put their collars on

Even when they are in the house keep their collars on until the party stops, this way they have their pet id on at all times in case they get outside

Alert guest

Your guest may not know that you have a dog or cat so make sure they know to keep the door closed. Also, let them know to refrain from feeding them as well.

Keep the garbage out of reach

If possible keep the garbage in another room in a tightly closed bin so there is no chance your pet will be tempted to dig in

Try external methods

If your dog is apprehensive about loud noises like poppers and fireworks try something that will help soothe them like a thunder shirt, CBD for animals, or a mild sedative prescribed by your veterinarian.

Have a happy July 4th!