Fourth of July Safety Tips for Your Pet

The Fourth of July is quickly approaching and this means the holiday fireworks can frighten you per, so follow these steps to keep your pet safe and sound

4th of July celebrations might be a lot of fun for people, but they can be downright scary for our animals, especially cats, dogs and horses. Celebrate the fourth, but please leave your pets safely indoors at home.

The Animal Shelter traditionally pick up more strays a week prior, during, and the week following the 4th of July than any other time of year, primarily because pets are so frightened by fireworks. To help keep your animals from becoming overly stressed this 4th of July, consider the following tips:

  1. Leave your pets at home! Do not take your pets to fireworks displays. Pets and fireworks are a dangerous combination. Fireworks and the loud noises can terrify your pet, causing it to bolt and run away.
  2. Don’t leave pets unattended outside. Don’t leave pets outside not even in a fenced yard or tied up or in a car. Dogs may try to dig out of yards. Dogs trying to escape the noises can become panicked, scale fences they never did before, or injure themselves by becoming entangled in ropes. They can end up lost miles from home, suffer heat exhaustion, or get hit by a car.
  3. Exercise pets early in the day. Take your dog for a walk early in the day before the fireworks start, so it will be tired and ready for a snooze when all the excitement begins. And make sure it’s had a chance to go potty, to avoid an accident in the house later.
  4. Keep pets safely indoors in a quiet place. Put your pet in a quiet room, away from outside sounds. Shut the windows, close the curtains or window blinds and use your air conditioner or a fan. Turn on the TV or radio to provide a normal sound to help drown out the noise from the fireworks. If you know your pet has a history of anxiety around loud noises, consult your vet before the holiday. Your vet may prescribe a mild tranquilizer to help keep your pet calm.
  5. Make sure dogs and cats are wearing an ID tag or license. Finally, make sure your dog is wearing an ID tag with your current address and phone number, and a dog license so we can return it to you, if it should get lost.

 

If your pet does become lost

  • Check the neighborhood (or area where the pet became lost), as pets have been known to be found close to home even several days later. Put up signs with your pet’s photo and your phone number.
  • Contact your microchip registration company. Once notified, they may activate a lost pet recovery network and/or place your lost pet on a “hot sheet.”
  • Contact your veterinarian. If your pet is wearing a rabies tag, the number can be traced to your veterinarian.
  • Contact animal control in your area. If possible, visit them daily to see if your pet has been brought in.
  • Place a lost pet ad in your local newspaper and/or online.
  • Check the paper daily for “found pet” ads.

 

Featured Dog- Magic

Little Magic was found as a stray and no one has come forward to claim him. He is mixed breed with some Chihuahua and something that looks like a little fox or mini sheltie. He can be a bit shy but once he knows you he is very friendly and loves sitting with you on the couch. He is an older dog  so he would do best in a home with older children.

Other available dogs- at this time there are no othere available dogs

 

 

Featured cat -Marilyn

Marilyn was found as a stray. She is under a year old with soft medium length hair. She is very tiny in size and was  underweight. She loves to be held and cuddled. She will curl up in your arms and go to sleep. She is not comfortable being around other cats but is doing well with meeting all the cats at the shelter. She purrs all the time. Nice quiet cat.

Other available cats

Tigger – Golden eyes. One of the nicest cats you will ever meet. Playful

Mr. Whiskers- Quiet and friendly. Very nice gentleman

Paris- Special diet. Likes to look out the window.

4 sister kittens- Blossom, Lotus, Laurel and Lily. They are approx 10 weeks old. They are too little to be spayed and leave shelter but can be adopted now but not leave shelter.

All animals will be spayed or neutered prior to leaving shelter and receive 1 year rabies vaccination and city license. Ages are approximate.

The City of Mesquite Animal Shelter located at 795 Hardy Way is open for adoptions from 11am until 1 pm, Monday through Saturday, Sunday 1pm -3pm. Please call 702-346-7415 during these hours to speak to the front desk. Animal Control may be reached by phone or voicemail at 702-346-5268

The animals submitted to the media may have changed so please visit our Petfinder website for a current listing and more detailed information on the animals. www.mesquiteanimalshelter.petfinder.com

Please also check our Facebook pages for lost and found animals along with pet information. https://www.facebook.com/MesquiteNVAnimalControl  and https://www.facebook.com/FRIENDSOFMESQUITENVANIMALSHELTER