FLORENCE, SC -The Florence Area Humane Society says each year around the Fourth of July, several dogs and cats run away from their homes because they are scared of fireworks.
This year, the shelter is seeing that first-hand as they continue to get calls from people searching for their pets.
Palmer is a three legged little guy who ran away from home on the Fourth of July, and he’s not alone.
“We’re getting a lot of calls. ‘Well , they were in the fenced in yard, fireworks started, and when we checked, they were gone’,” said Shelter Supervisor Wendy Wilton.
Wilton says the loud sounds from fireworks can cause dogs to run away, and now, the shelter has to deal with the problem.
“It’s very startling to them, and people need to realize as their dogs age, their hearing ability changes. So, those sounds that that sound the same to you year after year actually change to your dog, and they become very frightened,” said Wilton.
The shelter says since the fourth, they’ve had several dogs come through their doors with no collar or microchip, and Wilton says that makes it almost impossible for them to reunite the animal with its owner.
She says an implanted microchip can make the difference in finding your pet or losing him forever.
“We scan every animal that comes in the facility. When they have a microchip, we can have the owner on the phone, you know, within ten to fifteen minutes,” said Wilton.
Angela Newman adopted an animal at the Florence Area Humane Society Thursday. She says putting a microchip in her new friend Tyson is one of the first things she plans to do.
“Putting a microchip in them is a wonderful idea due to the fact that they do become part of the family because it’s like missing a family member,” said Newman.
And family is exactly what the Fourth of July runaways at the shelter need.
If you recognize any of the animals, please contact the Florence Area Humane Society to help in reconnecting those pets with their owners.
