4th of July safety: Helpful tips to protect your pets during firework displays

HILLSBORO, Ore. (KPTV) - Many are counting down the hours until 4th of July firework celebrations. While people may find the dazzling lights and big booms exciting, pets may find all that loud noise extremely frightening.

Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter in Hillsboro is open on the holiday to help with stray dogs, but to also reunite animal owners with their lost pets. Some lost because of early firework celebrations.

FOX 12 spoke with a few pet owners at Hondo Dog Park who were worried about the fireworks.

“My plan is to probably be at home comforting him. I’ve seen there are things you can put on him to reduce the level of stress, but it’s probably going to be about comforting him so he doesn’t stay up all night and get nervous,” said Lal Tuzman, who has a 2-year-old mini Goldendoodle named Taco. “He can hear the fireworks better than I can because he has dog ears, and last year the whole night he was up.”

Employees at Bonnie Hays say the best you can do is keep your pet inside Monday night, because as Tuzman just said, their ears are better than ours and the big booms are bigger and scarier for them.

Here are some tips pet owners can do before the fireworks go off:

• Make sure you pet’s tags and micro-chips have up-to-date information in case they do run and you can’t fin them.
• If you can, it’s a good idea to have a safe room in your home for your pet where they feel comfortable.
• In some cases, veterinarians recommend medication.
• If your dog or cat is outside, make sure your fence and gate are secure and closed.
• If your pet is in your own yard, it’s a good idea to make sure they are on a leash so they don’t bolt.

If pets do get out, there are some things you should do so you can bring them back home as soon as possible.

“If your animal does go missing this Fourth of July, let your neighbors know immediately and check you surrounding area,” said Stacy Beckley with Bonnie Hays. “Also make sure to check social media, particularly Nextdoor and Facebook tend to be where people post lost and found animals. And also be sure to file a lost and found pet report with us.”

More information about Bonnie Hays can be found here.

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