Pets
July 5 Busiest Day Of Year For Charlotte Metro Animal Shelters
Spooked by fireworks, more dogs run away over the 4th of July weekend than any other time of year. Here's what you can do to find your pet.
CHARLOTTE, NC — When Charlotte metro residents break out the fireworks, bottle rockets and Roman candles to celebrate the upcoming 4th of July holiday, local animal shelters will be bracing for what usually ends up being the busiest day of their year.
More pets go missing July 4-5 than any other days of the year, according to the American Kennel Club.
As a result, animal shelters across the country consistently report a huge uptick in the number of dogs and cats they take in over the Independence Day holiday.
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Dallas Harsa, vice president of sales and marketing at AKC Reunite, said on the organization’s website there are many factors that influence the increase in animals. Through the years, AKC Reunite has helped return more than 500,000 lost pets to their owners.
“Barbecues, many people coming in and out of the house, and even the noise of the fireworks, which may cause pets to panic and they will try to flee somewhere,” Harsa said. “They don’t know where the noise is coming from and they try to escape because they don’t understand.”
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"Absolutely there is an increase in missing pets around July 4th and New Years Eve," Mooresville-based Piedmont Animal Rescue executive director, Jason Benge, told Patch. "We always recommend pet parents keep their pets indoors on these two holidays and if they must go out to ensure that you have a secure harness and Martingale collar on the pets. The double system helps to avoid a malfunction of a one leash system and helps maintain the safety and security of the pet."
Each year, animal control in Charlotte receives up to about 10 lost dogs due to July 4th fireworks, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Animal Care and Control spokesperson Melissa Knicely said. She suggested all Charlotte metro pet owners make sure their pet's microchip registration information is current, and that pets are wearing an identification tag.
The City of Charlotte also has an online portal for pet owners who have a missing pet. That information may be found here.
Here’s the issue: Dogs have a heightened sense of hearing that makes the booming, buzzing, hissing, crackling, humming and whistling of fireworks a traumatic experience.
While pet parents can easily plan around municipal fireworks shows, it becomes more challenging to prepare and calm pets during the spontaneous displays lighting up your street. If outside, dogs can easily bolt. Even dogs that are secured with a leash or chain can break loose and jump a high fence when frightened.
If fireworks send your dog fleeing, the Humane Society of the United States advises first checking with local animal shelters and animal control agencies. Places to check close to home include:
To start, here are some Charlotte metro shelters to contact:
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Services, 8315 Byrum Drive, Charlotte, 704-336-7600
- Humane Society of Charlotte, 2700 Toomey Avenue, Charlotte, 704-377-0534
- North Meck Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 9102, Charlotte
- Cornelius Animal Shelter, 19110 Meridian Street, Cornelius, 704-237-3602
Also, search your neighborhood several times a day, and ask neighbors, mail carriers and delivery people if they have seen your dog. It’s also a good idea to hand out recent photographs of your dog along with your contact information.
Also consider checking shelters within a 60-mile radius of your home.
A number of online sites help reunite pets with their owners, including Pet FBI, or Pets Found By Internet. Others include:
If you were considering a backyard fireworks display this year, at least one animal shelter is hoping you’ll bypass the noise in favor of supporting dogs and cats waiting to be rescued.
Oklahoma-based Sand Springs Animal Welfare Facility recently shared the idea on social media in hopes it catches on. The post suggests buying two bags of pet food for a shelter instead of fireworks:
"Make a difference instead of a noise," the post reads.
"It's a great time of year for fireworks and everything, but the animals really do get scared, so we always say, make sure your pets are very secure when it's fireworks time," Tracy Arvidson, animal coordinator with Sand Springs Animal Welfare, told Tulsa-based WTUL.
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