{"id":1842,"date":"2016-07-01T21:56:52","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T21:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/fireworks-and-pets-how-to-safeguard-them-from-scofflaws\/"},"modified":"2016-07-01T21:56:52","modified_gmt":"2016-07-01T21:56:52","slug":"fireworks-and-pets-how-to-safeguard-them-from-scofflaws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/fireworks-and-pets-how-to-safeguard-them-from-scofflaws","title":{"rendered":"Fireworks and Pets: How to Keep Them Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Photo by Kate Karp. Enhancement by Dennis Dean.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Fourth of July celebration is a few days away, but enough people who make it especially annoying start celebrating at the end of May. Therefore, I apologize for the lateness of the article.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m no statistician, but if I were, I\u2019d probably find that the ratio of fireworks ignited as a symbol of patriotism to those that are set off only to make a lot of noise is pretty puny. It can be a headache for neighbors, but it\u2019s worse for pets.<\/p>\n

Dogs and cats panic when they hear the loud booms and cracks, and if they can, they bolt, often winding up far from home. Not a July 5 goes by when someone on social media posts a lost pet who was taken to a picnic on the beach or to a party, or who simply wasn\u2019t secured at home. If the animals are lucky, and if their human took the responsibility to provide them with a microchip and an ID, they get returned. Just before I went home to post this, I spotted a little beige wire-haired dog with a pink collar running down the PCH near the Pavilions shopping center in Seal Beach. Another citizen (Marie, thank you if you\u2019re reading this) caught up with me and told me that the dog lived on a side street and yes, had been spooked by a firework. We didn\u2019t catch the dog–hope she makes it home safe.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, sadly, the pet may be so terrorized that he or she will run into a busy street and get hit and killed. Many of them, dead or alive, wind up at the shelter\u2014the lucky ones are rescued by their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cImpounds always go up around\u00a0July 3 through July 5,\u201d said Ted Stevens, Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS)<\/a>\u00a0General Manager. \u201cIt can be up to as much as double a normal day for this time\u00a0of year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many shelters and rescues have become proactive and creative about lost pets. Live Love Animal Rescue<\/a>\u00a0is working with shelters on a short-term foster program for dogs and cats that are already in the shelters. Fosters would volunteer to care for a shelter pet for a few nights in order to make room for the Independence Day weekend influx (see graphic for contact information).<\/p>\n

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Graphic by Sam Ghosh.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

Los Angeles Animal Services has a similar program in which applicants for temporary foster would fill out a form available on this link<\/a>. ACS has both a lost-and-found page<\/a>\u00a0and a real-time Twitter handle, @LBLostFoundPets<\/a>, on which people can post missing or found animals.<\/p>\n

The Animal Resource Team (ART)<\/a>\u00a0was founded last year at this time by a group of volunteers who gathered at the shelter to try to help with the July 4 pet explosion. During last year\u2019s holiday weekend and for a few days after, the volunteers reunited seven stray animals with their owners, calling them and sometimes going to the homes in person. The shelter is located at 7700 East Spring Street in Long Beach at the entrance to Eldorado Park. There\u2019s no parking charge to visitors to the shelter, so if your pet\u2019s lost, look there first.<\/p>\n

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The ART table volunteers demonstrate skill, art and heart in getting pets safely home. Photo by Kate Karp<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that animal lovers are crabby\u2014although a number of us unarguably are\u2014and don\u2019t want people to enjoy the holidays. Scheduled fireworks are neat to watch, and knowing when they\u2019re going to be set off gives pet owners time to get their animals calmed. But fireworks purchased by consumers\u2014safe, sane or otherwise\u2014are illegal in Long Beach. Of course, so are running stop signs and peeing in public pools. It doesn\u2019t stop people, so I don\u2019t know why I\u2019m bothering to include graphic, but I\u2019m doing it.<\/p>\n

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OK–consumer fireworks are illegal in Long Beach. Onward. Graphic courtesy of City of Long Beach<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s us pet owners who have to make sure that our cat or dog stays safe. Every year at this time, the Scratching Post, along with any animal-welfare organization, social-media posting or publication, puts out a reminder for the public about fireworks and pets. Here are some tips, courtesy of ACS, to keep your pet from becoming a statistic in any form:<\/p>\n