July 4 Fireworks: 168 Dead Dogs And Counting

On July 5, 2011, 168 dead dogs were picked up by Riverside County Animal Services. The figure doesn't include what officers at nearby Wildomar-based Animal Friends of the Valleys/Southwest Communities Animal Shelter retrieved.

Still, for Riverside County Animal Services, last year's date marked the second highest one-day, dead-dog impound total in any of the past six years since the department started breaking down its Independence Day statistics.

July 5, 2007 still marks the highest ever total of dead dogs found by Riverside County Animal Services officers when the team retrieved 192.

The average for dead animals found by the county officers during the five-day period surrounding July 4 is slightly more than 500 pets, including dogs and cats and other animals.

“In addition to the dead animals retrieved, the department’s officers are recovering high numbers of strays, mostly frantic dogs that have bolted from their would-be secure yards and homes. Last July 5, officers recovered 404 stray dogs, followed by another 300 the next day,” according to a warning issued Monday by Riverside County Animal Services.

“We’d like to see these terrible numbers start to downtrend, but the reality is that we’re still seeing far too many strays and, even worse, people’s dead pets,” Animal Services Director Robert Miller said.

Willa Bagwell concurred. As director of Animal Friends of the Valleys/Southwest Communities Animal Shelter, she said July 4 is the “worst time of year” for pets. “We always see an increase. It’s awful.”

The fireworks, Bagwell explained, scare many pets, causing them to flee in terror. Many animals are lost and never found; others get struck and killed by vehicles.

To deal with the strays -- and the carnage -- Bagwell said Animal Friends of the Valleys/Southwest Communities Animal Shelter will have two officers on call for the upcoming holiday. The agency services the cities of Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake, Murrieta, Temecula and Menifee. Riverside County Animal Services patrols surrounding unincorporated area, such as Lakeland Village.

The Diamond Stadium has regular fireworks displays throughout baseball season, including a

Bagwell said all the fireworks displays add to the number of animal impounds the shelter sees, although she didn’t have statistics immediately available.

“We have a lot more impounds coming from the ‘avenues’ when the Storm shoots off their fireworks,” she said. The avenues, Bagwell explained, are the streets near Lakeshore Drive and the stadium.

When it comes to fireworks shows, Bagwell is resolute: “People need to secure their animals or stay home!”

Below is a list of tips, courtesy of Riverside County Animal Services, to help keep pets safe this July 4 holiday:

1. Every year we hear about pets are afraid of fireworks escape from their homes and yards. When animals hear loud sounds they will sometimes try to run away by jumping out of or digging under the fence. A dog in complete distress may even injure themselves jumping through a glass window or breaking through a fence to get away.

2. Be sure to have a collar with an updated ID tag and have your pet micro-chipped just in case they get out.

3. If you are having people over for a get-together keep your pets secured in a crate, back bedroom, etc., so they don’t escape out an open door when people are coming and going.

4. Keep pets indoor in a quiet environment; Turning on the radio or TV may help to drown out the sound of the fireworks.

5. Provide your pets with a place to hide like under the bed or in the closet. Make it an inviting area by placing his/her favorite bed there a few days before the Fourth of July.

6. Keep your pet entertained by providing dogs with a special chew toy, feed your cat a can of cat food or play with them while the fireworks are going.

7. DO NOT take your pet to a firework show; this can be overwhelming for some animals. While people hear sounds up to about 23kHz, a dog hears sounds at 45 kHz.

8. Horses should be kept away from the sounds of fireworks, indoor in a barn may help muffle the sound.

9. If you know that your pet is seriously anxious with loud sounds such as thunder, consult with your veterinarian before the Fourth of July. Veterinarians can prescribe sedatives for fearful pets.

10. With training pets can learn to be less anxious of loud sounds. This process of can take a while and is best done with the help of an animal behaviorist or professional trainer.