4 July 2025
July is National Lost Pet Prevention Month and today, July 4, is the #1 day for pets to go missing as the Post-Gazette explains: ‘Scariest day of the year’: Festivities lead to spike in missing pets
It’s all because of fireworks. We like them but our pets do not. Cats hide(*). Dogs panic and run. Some dogs, when trapped indoors, will destroy the house.
CBS Boston interviewed pet owners and shelter experts with tips on how to prepare. Some pet owners are about to find out how their pets react.
My sister-in-law in Massachusetts has a new dog that has a bad habit of bolting just for fun. She knows she’s going to have her hands full tonight.
If you have a pet, here are resources on how to prepare in advance:
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Don’t let your pet become another Fourth of July runaway
- DVM360 (Veterinarians): Preparing for July 4th: The day the greatest number of pets go missing
(*) p.s. I had a cat that would crawl into a cat-sized hole under the basement stairs. There was nothing we could do. We just had to wait until she came out.
When we lived in Florida, we had a wonderful shepherd mix dog. He had anxiety issues, so the vet prescribed a mild sedative to use during events such as the fourth of July, Halloween or the occasional hurricane. We stayed home with him and reassured him. It was his nature to be protective of us so during these stressful events we were protective of him.