The Fourth of July is no holiday for animals: easy pet safety tips

King County residents are encouraged to properly prepare their animals for a potentially stressful weekend. July Fourth celebrations can be traumatic and dangerous for animals. King County Animal Care and Control cautions all pet owners to take extra precautions for their companion animals this week as the sound of fireworks fill the air.

Animals have a keen sense of hearing and the sound of fireworks surrounding the Fourth of July can cause them distress and can be disorienting.

"Each year animal shelters experience an increase in the number of calls about lost or injured animals on the Fourth of July," explains King County Animal Care and Control Interim Manager Nancy McKenney. "If pet owners follow a few preventative steps now, they can reduce the chances that their pet will get lost on the holiday, and increase the chances of recovery if they do get away."

Here are the top three fireworks-related pet preparation tips:

1. Make sure your pets are wearing at least two forms of current identification. This can be a personalized tag and a pet license (make sure your contact information is up to date with your licensing agency), a microchip and a pet license, or a combination thereof. Identified pets have a greater chance of quickly being returned to their owners.

2. Keep your pets indoors in the quietest room of your house while fireworks are audible. Give them lots of reassurance. Play soothing music as a distraction.

3. Have phone numbers handy for the closest animal emergency hospitals and animal shelters. If your pet becomes lost, on July 5^th you can call 206-296-PETS (7387) and press 3 for King County Animal Care and Control's "Lost Pet Hotline" and a list of lost or stray pets currently in the shelter. For pets registered with the Seattle Animal Shelter, contact (206) 386-PETS (7387).

King County pet owners have a new benefit this holiday weekend that comes with licensing their dog or cat: a new "fetch your pet" automated program that connects finders of lost pets to the owners 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holiday's like the Fourth of July when the shelter is closed.

Citizens who find a lost pet wearing a King County pet license tag can call the number on the tag (206-296-2712) and get the phone number of the owner for immediate notification. Before the "fetch your pet" program started, good Samaritans trying to reunite found pets with their owners have only been able to get pet owner information from King County Animal Care and Control during regular business hours. For information on licensing your pet, visit www.kingcounty.gov/pets.

If you prepare your furry friends with two forms of identification and keep them away from loud noises, everyone in the family can enjoy the holiday weekend.

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King County Animal Care and Control's service area is unincorporated King County and 34 cities within King County. The agency has been promoting responsible pet ownership and providing animal related services to both people and animals for over 37 years.