Did Your Dog Go Missing on the 4th of July?

According to CBS Local, more lost dogs end up in shelters on July 5th than on any other day of the year. So if your dog was startled by a fireworks display and ran off in a panic, it pays to start checking around.

When she was an animal control officer, Dr. Kate F. Hurley, now director of the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at Davis' Center for Companion Animal Health, said she saw dogs jump through plate glass windows when fireworks went off. She handled other dogs that jumped fences, slipped leashes, and broke through doors.No one can explain why one dog will hide and another will bolt....If a dog gets lost, owners should check shelters for sixty miles around."

A 60 mile radius is a wide search net, but it's also good news. If you searched the nearest shelter and came up empty handed then there's still a chance that your pet is safe in another shelter.The article also suggested making use of social media to locate lost pets. This has often been effective for other pet owners (here's an instructive story from Florida that demonstrates one way a social media search might become effective). Social media will often help you find pets who wind up sheltering with other home owners when they finally stop running. Check the "found pets" section on Craigslist as well.Whatever you do, it's important to avoid giving up hope. You're not the only pet owner in this situation, and many pet owners are successfully reunited with their furry family members every July.