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Animal shelters see uptick in lost animals after Fourth of July

Posted at 6:15 PM, Jul 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-05 20:15:26-04

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah – The day after the Fourth of July is a busy one for animal control officers in Utah. They see a spike in lost animals due to fireworks.

Fireworks can spook animals and their first instinct is to take off. Dozens of lost pets ended up at the Salt Lake County Animal Services overnight.

“It’s been consistently busy all weekend. We had about 30 dogs come in and 30 cats come in,” said Callista Pearson, Salt Lake County Animal Services Marketing & Communications Manager.

Workers spent the morning weighing and scanning the animals for a microchip. They also took their photos, which will be posted on their website. These are all steps that will hopefully lead pets back to their owners.

Danee Ross was at Sugar House Park with her family Monday evening watching the fireworks when her dog, Sweet Pea, took off.

“I put my dog down and it ran away because it was so scared of the fireworks,” Ross said.

Sweet Pea turned out to be among the lot dropped off at animal services and on Tuesday morning, she was reunited with Ross.

“Seeing this little dog being returned to her family and just that overwhelming kisses and joy, it’s great to see that,” Pearson said.

There are some things pet owners can do to prevent losing a pet during a fireworks celebration. For one, make sure your pet is wearing a collar and ID tag so if they do run away they’re easier to track down.

“When you go to see fireworks, your dog doesn’t usually want to go see fireworks, they would rather be at home because it’s just so loud and scary and they’ll run away,” Pearson said.

If you are missing your pet, click on the links below:

http://adoptutahpets.com/

https://www.facebook.com/UtahLostAndFound/