Runaway pets make for a busy 5th of July for local animal shelters

Local animal shelters are bracing for a busy day as they expect an uptick in runaway animals needing help to get back home following a loud Independence Day.

They expect animals to be dropped off that may be lost and scared pets. A study by PetAmberAlert says there’s a 30% increase in lost pets around this time each year.

“Of all the animals we receive in here, only 3 percent have any form of ID,” says Beth Brookhauser with the SPCA of Monterey County.

The study by PetAmberAlert also says 14 percent of runaway pets get returned to their owners.

If your pet is a runaway there are three things you should do to try and get it back.

One of the first things is to call every animal shelter nearest you to see if they ended up there.

The second is to check social media. As we’ve seen recently, social media has played a crucial role in returning pets to their owners.

If you can’t find your pet in either of those locations, share a picture of your pet through multiple means, including online.

The SPCA of Monterey County says above all else, you should never stop looking.

“If your animal ends up here we’re gonna try and do everything we can to get him or her home to you,” says Brookhauser. “We ask the community to please not just check one place, check them all.”