How to Keep Your Pets Safe During 4th of July

Los Angeles animal shelters are preparing today in the run-up to the Fourth of July to make room for an expected influx in animals frightened by fireworks.

"The Fourth of July is really a busy time for shelters and for veterinarians when the animals get frightened, they run away, people call us, good Samaritans bring them to the shelter and then suddenly we have a lot more animals at the shelter," Brenda Barnette, general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services, told Video News West.

The shelter tries to reunite pets with their owners, but the animal shelter offered some tips for keeping pets calm, including:

• Keep pets indoors, if possible, or confined to a secure area (never tether an animal because it can lead to more harm or an accidental death)
• Double check yard gates to make sure that pets cannot escape
• Make certain pets are wearing identification, including the name and current telephone number of owner, or a microchip

The best way to keep a pet calm is to go in and sit with them until the fireworks are over.

"They'll like that best," Barnette said.

In addition to New Years and Halloween, Fourth of July is the busiest holiday for animal shelters and veterinarians who treat escaped animals hit by cars.

To adopt a pet from a Los Angeles Animal Shelter, visit http://www.laanimalservices.com/.

--City News Service