Safe & Secure 4th of July To All Pets

by C. Miriam Yarden, B.Sc., MS, APDT
LBReport.com Contributing Editor

(June 30, 2010) -- Every year we have been alerting pet-owners of the serious dangers faced by our companion animals on the 4th of July (and New Year’s Eve). This is the time when animal control agencies are kept very busy collecting pets who are well-trained, well-behaved, loved and cared for -- except that they have an uncontrollable fear of fireworks and all explosive sounds.

These poor animals are panic-stricken, run mindlessly to escape the sounds and will go over and under fences, break out through windows and sliding doors with the inevitable serious injuries and while so disoriented, get hit by cars, get stolen or just get lost never to be seen again.

It is not too difficult to secure your pets during this noisy holiday. The steps are simple and with supervision and empathy, although the fear may not "go away", but your companion will be safe in his home.

• DO NOT leave your animals at home on the 4th of July! Your presence is calming and reassuring and you can control the strong instinct to run. Keep him indoors with you and let him see how calm you are.

• DO NOT secure any animal on a leash or line by the neck or any other part of his body. The line may break, he can easily strangle himself or break his ribs (if he is on a harness).

• DO NOT crate him! He is frightened enough and being in a close, confined cage the fear escalates and he can hurt himself. Contrary to what you may have heard, crating does NOT calm him at this time. Don’t add more trauma to what he already experiencing.

• MAKE SURE that your doors and gates are securely locked and that none of your guests leave them open carelessly or accidentally.

• MAKE SURE that he is wearing all his identification markers (license tag, ID tag, microchip tag, etc.,) at all times, but especially this coming week-end. Animal shelters WILL contact you if he is identifiable and you can have a happy reunion, never to make the same mistakes again.

If you have the misfortune and your pet did get away in spite of all the responsible and caring precautions you have taken, check with the Long Beach Animal Care Services without delay. Visit their facility in person on the 5th of July and if not yet found, list him in their "lost and found" directory. Check with them every day and also with other animal control facilities such as SEAACA, the Carson Shelter, and even further -- you never know how far the poor animal ran.

Long Beach Animal Care and Services covers the following cities: Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Signal Hill and Cerritos. Call (562) 570-7387 in case of emergency (officers will be on duty 24 hours) or contact them at www.longbeach@gov.acs for hours open to the public to visit, search, list the loss or happily find your pets.

So have a happy time, enjoy the week-end and be sure that your companions are safe and are enjoying their time with you.

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