Almost 200 pets were taken into shelters throughout Southern California over the July Fourth holiday weekend. While most people love fireworks, most pets hate them.
Christine Colvin, a spokesperson for LA County Animal Care, said most of the pets were unleashed, fort frightened by fireworks and ran away.
“They get out because the fireworks are scary,” Colvin said.
The number of stray pets – 101 dogs, 55 cats and an assortment of 38 other animals – taken in by LA County Animal Care was an increase of 25% from last year’s July Fourth weekend, but was lower than 2019.
Many are found with no ID collar or microchip.
“Make sure your animals are microchipped and tagged,” Colvin said. “It’s the simplest thing you can do.”
Photos of animals are posted on the LA County Animal Care website.
Other agencies like the City of Los Angeles’s Department of Animal Services and OC Animal Care also post photos of stray animals taken in.