LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Many of us will soon be enjoying booming Fourth of July fireworks, but it can be a stressful time for pets and their owners.
Data show that nearly one in five lost pets goes missing after being scared by loud noises, such as fireworks.
All of the festivities can be frightening and sometimes dangerous for animals. If you know your animal is more of the anxious type, stay home with them or have someone at home with them.
A distraction could also be key, whether that's peanut butter, a toy, or even some music to drown out the loud boom of fireworks.
If your animal does take off sometime during this national holiday, there are some ways to get them back.
"Random things can happen. We wanna make sure that you can quickly get your pet back. The quickest way to do that is to have an ID on your pet, so that could be a city license, a just a simple your name and phone number and your address, rabies tag... something that will connect you to your lost pet," said Jai Hamilton, Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control cruelty investigator.
Another way to keep track of your best friend is microchipping, which is a form of permanent ID. The Lexington animal shelter provides this service and scans every animal that comes in fro this tiny tracking device.
"We even do that in the field a lot of times because we don't want animals coming in here. We want to be able to reunite them outside of the shelter. So um, we do microchipping here for $26.50. It's low cost and it could really mean if whether or not your pet gets reunited with you," said Hamilton.
