Riverside County Animal Services Urges Pet Safety This New Year?s Eve

The following is a Dec. 29, 2023, news release from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services:

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA ? As residents prepare to ring in the New Year, animal services officials urge pet families to do what they can to keep their pets safe and secure and out of local shelters.

?With New Year?s Eve just around the corner, now is a good time to shore up gates and fences where pets can make a quick escape. The celebratory sounds, just like those we experience on Fourth of July can be unsettling for animals, causing them to scramble for a hiding place and possibly go missing,? said Erin Gettis, director, Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

Gettis advises that pet families plan ahead:

• Secure your home, backyard and property to keep pets from getting loose.
• Make sure pets are wearing a collar ID tag whenever they are outdoors.
• Microchip your pets.
• Keep pets indoors in a quiet room as the celebrations take place.
• Register pets now in the Petco Love Lost portal at www.rcdas.org.

Petco Love Lost is a nonprofit central database for lost and found pets and the only lost and found tool using image-recognition technology to reunite pets and people. It is FREE to the public. People can register today by uploading a photo of their pet: http://tinyurl.com/yckej92w

Gettis added: ?Awareness and preparation make a difference. We want your pets home safe with you; not in our shelters.?

Visit www.rcdas.org for more information.