LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Through the holiday, families are gearing up for a Fourth of July filled with fireworks.
Independence Day is what many focus on during July but shelters everywhere are bracing for July 5.
The 5th is shelters busiest day of the year because pops and pets don't always mix.
“July 5 is historically the largest intake date for animal shelters across the country every year," Betsy Robb with Friends of the Animal Village said.
The crackles and pops from July 4 are meant to be celebratory. However, the fireworks typically lead to the complete opposite for shelters and pet owners.
"Fireworks are going off everywhere, and pets get spooked, they get loose,” Robb said. “It happens every year."
Robb said no one chooses to lose a pet, but it happens thousands of times a year. To save the heartache of losing and having to find a lost pet, there are things that can be done in advance.
Robb advises making sure pets have a collar and tags with current information. If they don't have tags, owners can get creative.
“Take a sharpie and write your phone number on their collar. If the collar has a print on it and you wouldn’t be able to read it, then wrap duct tape around the collar,” Robb said. "This way you can still get it off if needed, but then write your number on the duct tape.”
Next, make sure pets are microchipped, and the chip is registered. Then, take up-to-date photos.
“Clear pictures of your pet from all angles,” Robb said. “Current pictures you can easily find handy, because once they go missing you will not want to spend an hour trying to go back and find pictures of your pet.”
Finally, a big saving grace is bringing and keeping pets indoors before the fireworks go off.
“Don't take your dogs to a firework show,” Robb said. “Leave them at home where they're safe and sound with the radio and TV on, so they have a little background noise.
Something Robb sees too often, are pet owners taking their four-legged friends to firework shows or leaving them at home, without a leash.
"Don't take them with you, but also do not leave your dogs without a leash other than in a fenced in yard around July 4,” Robb said. “That's just a recipe for disaster.”
If disaster does strike Robb said there's three things to do.
“Visit Lost and Found pet network and nextdoor.com, post a picture of them and label them as missing on both websites,” Robb said. “Then visit your local animal shelter as soon as possible."
Before search is even needed, and before the fireworks start, Robb urges owners to take the steps to save some grief.
If someone doesn’t lose a pet but finds one, Robb suggests taking the animal to any veterinarian’s office to be scanned for a microchip if they're not wearing tags.
She also suggests that you check the Arkansas lost & found pet network and nextdoor.com for a lost pet post or submit them as found.