SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Every Independence Day, shelters are filled with lost and injured pets. The Sacramento SPCA is recommending the following tips to keep your pet safe so you can all enjoy a happy and safe Fourth of July.

Pet ID Backup Plan - Sacramento SPCA
* Make sure pets are microchipped and the chip registration (owner’s contact information) is up to date.

* Ensure pets are wearing a properly fitting collar with ID tags.

* As a backup plan, write your phone number on your pet’s collar with a sharpie marker.

* Provide physical and mental stimulation with a walk or playtime during cooler morning hours – it can help pets stay calm in the evening.

* During peak firework hours the week surrounding July 4th, bring all pets indoors, offer their favorite toy or a stuffed Kong, and add some ambient noise (such as television or radio) to distract them.

Whether the plan is to visit friends for your holiday festivities or stay close to home, it’s important to remember our furry friends do not enjoy the celebration as much as humans do.

“Every year, animal shelters are inundated with pets that panicked at the sound of fireworks and fled into the night, winding up lost, injured or killed,” said Kenn Altine, Sacramento SPCA CEO. “By following these few simple tips, pet owners can keep their pets safe and sound at home and avoid unnecessary worry, reclaim fees and heartbreak.”

What Do I Do If I Find a Stray Animal?

The Sacramento SPCA is encouraging community members to follow these Found Animal Tips to help healthy stray animals find their way home; including checking the animal for an ID tag and microchip (which can be scanned at a vet’s office, shelter or pet store), asking around the neighborhood, making flyers or posting online in local lost and found groups or on neighborhood specific social media platforms.

For sick or injured animals found in Sacramento City, residents should call 311 and in Sacramento County, call 916-875-5000.

“It’s been long thought that bringing animals to shelters was the best way to help them, but we now realize that most of the time, they can be easily reunited with their family by staying near where they were found,’ said Altine. “That leaves the shelter with room for the animals who really do need our help – those whose owners can no longer keep them or animals that are sick or injured.”

The Sacramento SPCA is the only shelter in the region offering pet owners a place to take their beloved animals when they have nowhere else to turn; regardless of age, breed, health condition or behavior. Though the Sacramento SPCA had to adapt their services due to the COVID-19 health crisis, they have continued to say yes to the animals and have expanded public access to their lifesaving programs by offering appointment-based services.

Founded in 1892, the Sacramento SPCA has been providing homeless animals with individual comfort, shelter, and love for more than 128 years. They provide compassionate medical care to tens of thousands of animals annually and offer a variety of programs and services designed to keep people and pets together for life.

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