Everybody loves Independence Day, right? Well, not really. The lovely fireworks that delight us humans cause countless dogs to jump fences, dig under gates, and chew through anything in their way to flee the sudden booms and bright lights in the sky.
Here are some pointers to make sure your dogs stay calm and safe during this most boisterous of holidays, and advice about what to do if they go missing, or if you find someone else’s lost dog.
Prevention basics
Your dog should always wear a collar, including an ID tag with your phone number and a current rabies vaccination tag.
Have your dog micro-chipped. In Oakland, this is mandatory for dog licensing and is cheap. Your vet will also do it, which is less cheap.
Keep recent large photos of your dog for future identification.
Repair loose boards and holes in fences, and fill in or cover gaps at the bottom.
If possible, keep dogs inside. Dogs who have never before jumped a fence have been known to do so when terrified.
Register with a pet-finding service – Google “lost pets” to find a list. (HomeAgain – www.homeagain.com – is one such service.)
If your dog escapes:
First, thoroughly search your own home and surrounding neighborhood (get permission before entering your neighbors’ yards). Dogs can get trapped in sheds, closed inside trailers, tangled in wires under homes or in berry vine thickets, and can fall in wells or swimming pools.
Call the local animal shelter (the pound) in your area (Google “yourcity animal services”). In general, pet rescue organizations cannot accept lost animals; only the official animal shelter can do that.
Advertise
Put up posters in your target search area. For instructions on successful postering, see the Missing Pet Partnership (MPP) website, www.missingpetpartnership.com. Do not rely on an 8 1/2X11 notice taped to a pole!
Talk to your neighbors (and your mail carrier) and distribute flyers in your target search area. (Again, pet detectives and pet-finding services can help.
Use the newspapers and online bulletin boards to post notices, and check the Found Pets columns daily.
Get experienced help. Check the MPP website for pet detectives in your area who use search dogs and will help with phone lists and posters. Pet-finding services will help with flyers and will notify vets, shelters, and volunteers in your area.
If you find a lost dog:
Use caution when approaching a scared, lost dog – speak kindly and reassuringly and offer food.
Check for ID tags or tattoos. The latter are usually inside the ear or under the leg. Have your vet check for microchips.
By law, you must turn stray dogs over to the authorities (the pound). Most shelters are overpopulated and may allow you to foster the dog after a set period of time.
Jane Sokolow is a certified canine masseuse who donates massages to pooches at local rescue organizations. She has been a student of Kat Albrecht, founder of Missing Pet Partnership. Contact her at janeqs@pacbell.net.
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