Shelter expects increase in lost animals during 4th of July weekend
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Your four-legged friends could get lost in all the fanfare on the 4th of July.
“4th of July weekend is one of our busiest because of stray animals coming in. Typically, those animals are scared or spooked by the fireworks,” said Community Outreach Manager for Indianapolis’ Animal Control Services Roxie Randall.
IACS will have extra staff and volunteers on hand this weekend to care for any lost pets. The shelter has seen not just cats and dogs, but even ferrets and birds, flee from loud fireworks.
“He will typically come and lay underneath me and my wife, or he will just go in his cage and be lonesome in the corner,” LaRod Mickens said about his dog, Thor, when fireworks go off near his home.
“We recommend you leave your pet at home, you have them safe in a room to themselves, and you have some background music going, whether it’s a TV or radio,” said Randall.
You can try a hormone diffuser, or even a sedative, which can be prescribed to your pet by a veterinarian. Randall recommends microchipping your pet, a service that IACS can do for $10.
The shelter is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but will be closed on the 4th of July.
If your animal is lost, or you’ve found a lost animal, you can report it by clicking here.