Fee waivers
HSOY to forgive impound charges over 4th of July
Due to the increase in lost animals that are brought to the shelter during the upcoming holiday, the Humane Society of Yuma will waive impound and boarding fees for Independence Day.
More animals go missing on the Fourth of July than any other day of the year, according to Lana Shapiro, director of development at HSOY.
On July 5 and 6 only, HSOY will waive all impound and boarding fees. The fee waiver is only applicable to animals that come into the shelter on July 3 or 4. Licensing fees still apply.
Normally, Shapiro said the impound fee is a flat $25 and the boarding fee per animal is $10 a day.
HSOY shelter location will be closed on July 4 but will open regular business hours on July 5. Every year, she said, HSOY sees an increase in lost animals overnight on the evening of July 4.
“Our average intake on a normal day is about 11 animals a day,” Shapiro said. “We’ve been discussing this because July 4 is on a Tuesday, and people will probably start celebrating and shooting off fireworks this weekend, so we are anticipating a little bit of a longer period of time where we are going to see a spike in animals coming in because they got scared off.”
HSOY advises that if residents must leave their pets at home during the time when there may be loud noises, crating is the best option. It is suggested by HSOY that if crating is not an option, you should secure the family pet(s) in the most comfortable area inside the home.
Turning on the TV or radio to add background noise to help drown out the explosive noises that may cause stress for an animal is also helpful.
As temperatures remain high during the holiday, HSOY also wishes to remind residents of the dangers of excessive heat, which can be life threatening in minutes for pets. HSOY urges pet owners to provide adequate water, shade and non-metal bowls for pets.
If an animal should escape from the home on July 4, HSOY noted it is imperative an animal is licensed, wears a tag or has a microchip.
“If they have a microchip, make sure the information on the microchip is current and correct,” Shapiro stressed. “Make sure your animals are wearing their collars and tags; that is the best way to bring an animal back to your home. If any stray citizen picks up your animal, they don’t have to bring it to the vet or here to the shelter to get scanned for a microchip. If they have their tags on them, they can call animal control or the citizens themselves can contact you to bring the animal back.”
The HSOY shelter is located at 4050 S. Avenue 4 1/2 E and can be reached by calling 928-782-1621.
Area animal control phone numbers are as follows:
City of Yuma Animal Control: 928-373-4795
Yuma County Animal Control: 928-341-8800
Somerton Animal Control: 928-722-7399
San Luis Animal Control: (police department) 928-341-2420 MCAS: 928-269-6303 Town of Wellton Animal Control: (police department) 928-785-4887