Salt Lake County Animal Services wants to remind pet owners to keep dogs and cats safe and indoors during the 4th of July weekend.
Dog owners know what happens when fireworks go off.
“They get really scared, they put their ears down and their tail goes down and they hide in their cage and start barking” says Evelyn Mendoza she who has 2 dogs at home. She says her dogs will try to run away when they hear fireworks.
“They get squirmy and they panic and they run," she says. "They don’t even listen to me when they call their name.”
And she’s not the only one. Salt Lake County Animal Services says they’ll get about 40 runaway animals a day during the 4th of July week. Owners have 5 days to come find their pet but after that those dogs and cats will be up for adoption.
Callista Pearson is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Salt Lake County Animal Services. She recommends that everyone finds a safe place indoors for their pets during fireworks shows.
“First thing is to make them a comfy space – whether that’s in their crate or their bed, maybe put them down in the basement in a bedroom down there," she says. "Turn on the radio, play some soft nice music that will maybe help relax them. Also take them for a walk earlier in the day before fireworks start going off.”
Pearson says if you see a stray dog or cat to stay away and contact your local animal services to pick them up.
