 |
| Animal Shelters Fill Up Following 4th of July. I microchipped Icy and Phoebe as soon as I got them! |
Most of us blog about keeping dogs and cats safe during 4th of July weekend, one of the busiest weekends for animal shelters and pet rescue organizations. Between fireworks, travel, Bar B Que's, and other holiday happenings, frightened dogs and cats run away and end up in shelters. Shelters then become inundated with lost dogs and cats. The reason this is so harrowing is because many shelters aren't No Kill, and will have to euthanize animals simply because they don't have the room to house them all! They rely on rescue organizations and partner animal shelters to take as many of these animals off their hands, as soon as possible, to help with the overflow.
 |
| 3 adorable Chihuahua's at the animal shelter waiting for a home |
I want to share an excerpt from the email I received from my Volunteer Coordinator, to give you an idea of how overwhelming it can get for animal shelters following a weekend as busy as 4th of July weekend:
"Hi everyone:
I'm sure you have heard or seen some news clips regarding all the run-away dogs who have been brought to our shelter after the Fourth of July. Almost 200 animals in less than three days have entered our shelters. Our kennels are just about completely full.
We could really use your help with spot-cleaning and watering our animals. Kennel staff will be as busy as ever with our customers who are coming in looking for their lost pets. If you can come in to help during this very busy time, it would be most appreciated......"
An additional 200 animals in under 3 days?! The enormity of that number blows my mind. Imagine how difficult it is for a shelter to be inundated with the intake of that many homeless pets in under 3 days!
This is just one reason why it's so important to continue to be vigilant in educating people about pet safety. Even when it feels like overkill, it isn't. Just when you think everyone out there already knows what to do to keep pets safe, you hear about shelters being inundated with hundreds of lost pets.
One of the things I'm really adamant about is encouraging everyone to microchip their dogs and cats. I'm like a broken record, constantly urging people to microchip their pets! When an animal enters a shelter the first thing shelter staff does is look for a collar with updated tags and scan for a microchip. Collars can easily break off or be removed. I've seen terrified dogs suddenly slip out of a collar or harness like they were Houdini!
It's joyful when a pet enters a shelter with updated tags or a microchip and an owner can be identified and a lost pet returned home. It's heartbreaking for the majority of pets, whose owner can't be identified because there are no tags or microchip.
"Hi everyone:
I'm sure you have heard or seen some news clips regarding all the run-away dogs who have been brought to our shelter after the Fourth of July. Almost 200 animals in less than three days have entered our shelters. Our kennels are just about completely full.
We could really use your help with spot-cleaning and watering our animals. Kennel staff will be as busy as ever with our customers who are coming in looking for their lost pets. If you can come in to help during this very busy time, it would be most appreciated......"
An additional 200 animals in under 3 days?! The enormity of that number blows my mind. Imagine how difficult it is for a shelter to be inundated with the intake of that many homeless pets in under 3 days!
This is just one reason why it's so important to continue to be vigilant in educating people about pet safety. Even when it feels like overkill, it isn't. Just when you think everyone out there already knows what to do to keep pets safe, you hear about shelters being inundated with hundreds of lost pets.
 |
| 3 little dogs at the animal shelter |
One of the things I'm really adamant about is encouraging everyone to microchip their dogs and cats. I'm like a broken record, constantly urging people to microchip their pets! When an animal enters a shelter the first thing shelter staff does is look for a collar with updated tags and scan for a microchip. Collars can easily break off or be removed. I've seen terrified dogs suddenly slip out of a collar or harness like they were Houdini!
It's joyful when a pet enters a shelter with updated tags or a microchip and an owner can be identified and a lost pet returned home. It's heartbreaking for the majority of pets, whose owner can't be identified because there are no tags or microchip.
July is Pet Safety month, get your pets ready for it!
24 comments:
So sad how after holidays pets are dumped at shelters or rescues. Thanks for sharing this post.
Thanks for helping to get the word out about micro-chipping and especially making sure pets are safe and secured this time of year. It amazes me too how many dogs run off and are lost because of fireworks.
How sad so many pets got loose and lost! Hopefully they are reunited with their families!
I hope those pets that were lost are already found :( So scary.
That is crazy how many pups go missing. I live in the province of Quebec. Canada Day, July 1st, is known as "moving day" in the province. This leads to a lot of shelters becoming full as people dump their pets before they move. I am sure the fireworks on the 1st don't help either. It is so sad to me, and sad that kill shelters (not for health reasons) still exist. Sigh!
They do often get dumped after holidays, but most often on 4th of July so many pets are frightened by fireworks and end up running away out of fear. Thanks for stopping by today!
It shocks me that so many people still fail to secure their pets during fireworks. We have to be vigilant and continue to blog and share about pet safety, even when it feels to us like we're over communicating- I'm learning there's no such thing as over communication when it comes to pet safety! Thanks for stopping by today!
I always hope for a larger number of pets that have updated tags and microchips, but I'm always disappointed. Thanks for stopping by Taryn!
I hope as many as possible can be reunited with their owners but I know there will be too many that aren't )-: Thanks for stopping by today!
OMD, people who dump their pets because they're moving make me ill. It's easy to find housing that accepts pets if you don't wait until the last minute! People give up on their pets so easily; their pets would never give up on them as easily. Thanks for stopping by the blog today!
That's an incredible amount of new pets! I hope they get the needed help. If being a "broken record" is what it takes then it's what we do!
That is an insane amount and it would be incredibly sad if people's lost pets were euthanized...Luckily we're always with someone on the Fourth and are kept safe...
www.TiffanysDiamondDogs.com
Wow, what an incredible number of dogs. How sad. You are so right, it cannot ever be overkill!
I'm always shocked when I hear how many pets end up in shelters over the Fourth. You'd think people would know if they have a pet who is frightened by loud noises and do something to keep them safe. I mean - I can understand a few getting out, but 100s?! It's hard to understand. And then the fact that folks don't think to check with the shelters is also a little mindboggling. Hopefully the pets will be reunited with their families!! Ugh.
I have read these sad statistics before. I don't know why people aren't more careful around the fourth. And yes, microchipping is SO IMPORTANT.
Reading this makes me so sad. Of course, we do everything we can to help out.
I agree. Microchipping is one of the best things you can do for your pet. And yourself, by the way. Thank you for reminding me, I'll write a post on microchipping as well!
I know, its such an overwhelming number of new pets to receive at once. I guess we do need to be "broken records". I'm so glad we have BlogPaws' Pet Safety month to share tips & information! Thanks for stopping by M.K.!
It is an insane amount. Many pets will likely be put down all across the country in the coming weeks. Its so tragic. I'm so glad you stayed safe this weekend. Thanks for stopping by!
It is an unbelievable number of pets, and that's just one shelter in one city. Mind boggling. We all have to keep sharing information and educating about pet safety. Thanks for stopping by!
It is an unbelievable number of pets, and that's just one shelter in one city. Mind boggling. We all have to keep sharing information and educating about pet safety. Thanks for stopping by!
It is an insane amount. Many pets will likely be put down all across the country in the coming weeks. Its so tragic. I'm so glad you stayed safe this weekend. Thanks for stopping by!
Crazy how this continues to happen!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
This is such an important topic, and I know I haven't been mentioning it enough on my blog. You've lit a fire under me!
Jean from Welcome to the Menagerie
Post a Comment