Local shelter shares tips to help reunite families with lost pets

JACKSON, Tenn. — A local shelter is sharing some tips on what to do if you’ve lost a pet during the Fourth of July holiday.

This past weekend, people celebrated the holiday by firing up the grill and setting off fireworks.

While many enjoyed the holiday, some of their furry friends did not.

“The Fourth of July weekend is the number one weekend nationwide for missing pets. It is the highest volume disappearing act that our animals play on us all year long,” said Whitney Owen, Director of the Jackson Animal Care Center.

During this holiday, many animals become anxious or nervous from the sound of the fireworks, causing them to run away.

“If your personal pet goes missing, the first place you need to start is calling your local shelters. So you need to call them, not just once. You need to call them every couple of days to check in to see if your dog or cat has been brought in,” Owen said.

If one of your furry friends has been missing since the Fourth, the best way to try and find them is posting on social media.

“Apps like Nextdoor or location based Groupon, Facebook, things like that. If you can post a picture, an accurate contact information, that way if somebody sees your dog or cat out, they can call you immediately so you can make it to that location before that animal moves again,” Owen said.

If you do find a pet with no collar or identification, you can call your local shelter.

“If there is no identification, you can call and report it to your local shelter,” Owen said. “Let them know that you found this dog or this cat. Physical description, you know, offer to send them a picture of it in case the owner has called looking for it.”

If you’ve found your pet on social media or a shelter website, you will need to go that shelter and provide proof of ownership.

It can be pictures of your family with the pet or vet records.

“We don’t want that to be a hindrance to anybody, but we also don’t want to give a dog away to somebody it doesn’t belong to either. Because the real owner is probably out there looking for it, and it’s not fair to them or the dog for us to not do our due diligence,” Owen said.

If you or anybody you know is looking for a lost animal, you can contact the Jackson Animal Care Center at (731) 422-7028 or Jackson-Madison Rabies Control at (731) 668-4211 for more information.