The 4th of July and the days following are the busiest times at our six LA Animal Services Centers throughout the City. For many pets, the loud booming sounds and the flashing lights of fireworks can be terrifying for dogs and cats causing pets to escape their home or yard in an attempt to look for somewhere safe to hide.
To help ensure Angelenos and their furry family members stay safe this holiday weekend, LA Animal Services teamed up with the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department, and LA CityView 35 on a joint Public Service Announcement about the dangers illegal fireworks pose to residents and their pets.
While enjoying the festivities with family and friends, please remember the following tips for keeping you and your pets safe during the Independence Day holiday weekend:
Pet Safety for Dogs, Cats, and Rabbits
- Stay away from fireworks. Even if your pet does not seem obviously upset by fireworks, they can still cause harm to pets. Fireworks are illegal in the City of Los Angeles. You can prevent potential burns, injuries, or possible ingestion by keeping all pets out of the vicinity of fireworks and asking friends and neighbors to avoid using them.
- Keep your dogs, cats, and rabbits indoors and create a calm environment. The best way to keep your pets safe is to make sure they stay indoors and in an enclosed room if possible. If you allow your dog outside, be sure that your gates or fence are secure or that your pet stays on a leash.
………If you’re having guests over for a party, try creating a safe place in your ………home where your pet can have some quiet space away from your ………company such as a room that is off-limits or a familiar crate with their ………favorite toys or comforting blanket. For bunnies, provide extra places for ………them to hide within their living spaces (like an extra hidey hole) Playing ………calm and soothing music and keeping the room as quiet as possible by ………closing doors, windows and blinds will also help to distract pets from the ………sounds of fireworks.
- Make sure your pet has up-to-date identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a microchip on a dog, cat, or rabbit, that's registered with your correct contact information, and a collar or harness on your canine and feline friend with a current license and/or ID tag on it will help reunite you with your companion animal right away!
………For information on getting or renewing your dog’s license, visit:
………laanimalservices.com/laws-policies/animal-licenses.
………If your pet is not microchipped, you may contact any of our LA Animal ………Services Centers and schedule an appointment to have your companion ………animal chipped. The cost for the general public is $15.00 per animal. For ………information or to schedule an appointment, call (888) 452-7381. Most ………veterinary clinics also offer microchipping!
- Start looking for your lost pet right away. The fact is that the vast majority of lost pets are found within a few blocks of their home. LA Animal Services believes that it is in the best interests of everyone in the community to make all efforts to reunite lost pets with their owners in their neighborhood, without having to bring them to an Animal Services Center. According to an ASPCA survey, about half of missing dogs and a third of missing cats were found by searching their local neighborhoods.
……..We encourage people who have lost their pet dog or cat to post a photo ……..and description of the pet on LA City Lost and Found Pets, Nextdoor.com, ……..Pawboost.com, or Shadowapp.com, to improve the chances of reuniting ……..with their companion animals.
……..In addition to posting on LA City Lost and Found Pets, LA Animal Services ……..also suggests that individuals who find a lost pet, and who are able to do ……..so, provide temporary home care for these lost or stray companion ……..animals through our Shelter-at-Home program. Shelter-at-Home expands ……..LA Animal Services’ foster program and increases community involvement ……..in helping find animals’ owners, and enabling pets to be held in less ……..stressful environments. To learn more about the Shelter-at-Home ……..program, please visit laanimalservices.com/found-pet.
……..If a member of the community finds a lost pet, is unable to locate the ……..owner, and is unable to provide temporary foster care, please call
……..888-452-7381 and make an appointment to bring the pet to the closest ……..Animal Services Center. If the pet appears sick or injured, please bring ……..them to the closest Animal Services Center immediately. DO NOT LEAVE ……..the dog or cat in an unsafe place.
……..You may also visit laanimalservices.com/about-animals/lost-pet if you ……..have lost a pet or laanimalservices.com/found-pet if you have found a ……..stray pet.
- Adopt or foster to create life-saving space in our Centers. Every year around the 4th of July, LA Animal Services Centers can fill beyond capacity with terrified, lost pets. By fostering a dog, cat, or kitten, you can help give these shelter guests a break from kennel life while ensuring life-saving space is available for sick, injured, or abandoned animals who make their way into our Centers and have nowhere else to go. Click here to find out how you can adopt or foster a new furry friend.
4th of July Horse Safety
Fireworks and the 4th of July celebrations may also frighten and cause injury to horses. It is estimated that around 60 percent of all animals become distressed by the loud noises and streaking lights of fireworks, and horses are no exception being outdoors.
To keep your equine friends safe, here are some key tips:
- Consider moving your horse indoors for the evening if a fireworks display is due to take place in a location adjacent to where your horse grazes.
- If you will be leaving your horse outside, make sure all fencing and gates are secure.
- If you decide to stable your horse make sure they have a thick bed with high banks and that there is nothing obvious on which they could injure themselves.
- Give your horse plenty of hay to keep them occupied
- Play music or leave a radio on to muffle the sounds of fireworks and help to keep your horse calm.
- Ear covers can help to reduce the noise.
- After a fireworks event has taken place, check your fields/arena for spent fireworks as these could cause injury if ingested.
Our LA Animal Services Centers are open by appointment. We will be closed on Monday, July 5 to observe the 4th of July holiday.
For more information about LA Animal Services and ways to keep you and your pets safe, visit laanimalservices.com.
