It’s no secret that fireworks are great fun for people, but our four-legged friends are not fans of the bangs and flashes that accompany the July 4 celebrations.
Dr. Beth Vesco-Mock, executive director of the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley, said the days and night around the holiday generally see a spike in intake numbers at the shelter, and Facebook and other social media light up with posts about missing pets in neighborhoods throughout Doña Ana County.
“These guys get scared by the noises and the flashes in the sky,” she said. “They’ll act very uncharacteristically during this kind of stress, and they’ll try to flee the stress any way they can. Jumpers will jump, and diggers will dig.”
She recommends bringing companion animals indoors during the busiest times of fireworks activity, between dusk and 1 a.m., and she said yards should be checked closely for potential escape routes.
She said the shelter, at 3551 Bataan Memorial West in Las Cruces, is routinely open from noon to 6 p.m. for people to come reclaim pets that got out and may have been impounded. July 4 hours are noon to 3 p.m.
She said microchipped pets are much easier to return to owners, and she recommends chips for all pets.
