Best Friend Animal Society Helps Declare Inde-Pet-Dence This 4th

Food. Fireworks. Fun. That’s the scenario for millions of people that celebrate US Independence Day on July 4th, one of the year’s liveliest holidays.

Unfortunately, for pets that get frightened during the festivities, it can be anything but a celebration. Driven by a fearful reaction to fireworks and other loud sights and sounds, dogs and cats that flee from their homes often end up in municipal animal shelters.

“Nationwide, July 4th weekend is the busiest shelter intake time of the year. So, while many of us are celebrating a holiday, the shelters will be flooded with pets, many of which will never find their way home,” said Gregory Castle, chief executive officer of Best Friends Animal Society. “In order to avoid this heartbreaking scenario, we encourage owners to make the holiday as safe as possible for their pets.”

Best Friends Animal Society offers the following tips to help keep your pets safe over the holiday weekend:

• Bring all pets indoors whenever neighborhood fireworks displays are likely. Secure dogs in a room and play music or turn on the television to drown out the frightening sounds.
• Keep pets away from lit fireworks at all times, including your own backyard, as some will chase after the bright moving objects and are at risk to be burned or blinded in the process.
• Ensure that pets are wearing current identification tags.
• For the ultimate identification protection, all pets should be microchipped so that they can scanned at an animal shelter or veterinary office.
• If your pet does go missing over the holiday, check with local animal shelters immediately. Go to the shelter in person to identify your pet, rather than calling or emailing the shelter, as staff may not be able to respond in a timely enough fashion to ensure your pet’s safety.

To maximize lifesaving efforts in July, Best Friends Animal Society is hosting a national “Celebrate Freedom” adoption campaign at its facilities in LA and Salt Lake City, as well as through its more than 1,100 No More Homeless Pets Network Partners across the country. For the month of July, adoption fees will start at just $25. (For more information about  participating organizations near you, visit bestfriends.org/Adopt-a-Pet/National-Adoption-Specials).

“There is no better time than now if you’re in the market to adopt a dog or cat. You’ll be saving two lives with every adoption, the one you take home and the one that now has space at the shelter,” Castle said.

Best Friends is also offering special hours and fees on July 4th weekend at its adoption centers, where all pets originate from municipal shelters:

• Best Friends Pet Adoption & Spay/Neuter Center in Mission Hills, CA, which transfers dogs and cats from Los Angeles Animal Services to its no-kill facility, is hosting a special 24/7 #Freedom100 adoption marathon. From noon on Friday, July 3 through Monday, July 6 at 8 p.m., the center will offer $10 fees for the first 100 adopters.
• The Best Friends’ NKLA Pet Adoption Center in Los Angeles, CA will offer $10 adoptions for all cats and $25 on select dogs during its daily business hours of noon to 8 p.m. on July 3, 4 and 5.
• The Best Friends Sugar House Adoption Center in Salt Lake City, UT will be open during on July 4th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to accommodate holiday adopters, with $25 adoptions on pets six months or older to the first 100 adopters.

Each pet at the Best Friends centers is spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and ready to go home immediately

“Adoption isn’t just the most humane option when adding a four-legged member to your family, it’s convenient and cost-effective, too,” Castle said. “Our hope is that Americans  across the country will band together to declare this 4th as Inde-Pet-Dence Day for shelter pets in their community.”