TAMPA, Fla. — While you may enjoy Fourth of July celebrations across the Tampa Bay area, your pet might not. A local veterinarian shared some suggestions to help keep them safe.
It’s a common problem for pet owners around this holiday: scared and anxious pets, some who can even get spooked, run off, and get lost.
"We do find some lost pets after the Fourth, and we always scan them for a microchip and try to reconnect them with their owners,” said Dr. Maria Coppola, an associate veterinarian at Harmony Vet Care.
You’ll always find Stefanie Olsen’s dog, Chunk, near her side.
"He is a very good snuggler. Loves all the belly rubs,” said Olsen.
Those snuggles come in handy around July 4 when fireworks light up the sky.
"He kind of looks around like where'd that come from and kind of hits the deck and tries to find somewhere he can hole up to hide,” said Olsen.
Pedro Velez’s best boy Bruno isn’t a fan of fireworks either.
"When they do go off and I see the reaction on his face, I try to calm him down because he looks straight at me and he gets really scared, and I'm like, it's okay, it's okay, we'll be alright, and he feels better until the next boom,” said Velez.
Coppola said if you’re unsure how your pet will react, err on the side of caution and keep them indoors. If they will be outside, she said to make sure they’re on a leash.
"I'd recommend they keep them indoors," said Coppola. “If they're going to be indoors, sometimes giving them a different stimulus is helpful. Turn on the TV, turn on some music, so that it's already kind of loud in there in the house.”
It’s also important you have a recent photo and ID tags with up-to-date information in case your pet does get away.
