Imperial Valley Press

Fireworks & safety

- BY DEVON APODACA Special to This Newspaper Devon Apodaca is executive director of the Humane Society of Imperial County.

With the Fourth of July just around the corner, the team at the Humane Society of Imperial County is doing everything it can to help bring awareness to the pet parents of our community on how to keep their fur-kids safe and sound during the summer holiday festivitie­s!

The night of July 4 is full of fun and celebratio­n for us, but for our pets it’s a much different story. Every year on that night, HUNDREDS of pets within our community become frightened by the bangs and flashes of fireworks.

Out of fear and in an attempt to find a safe place to hide, many pets become disoriente­d and lost. Some pets become severely injured and may suffer fatal injuries from exhaustion or being struck be vehicles.

Sadly, many of these pets are never reunited with their families.

It is always recommende­d to keep pets indoors, make sure all gates and fences are properly locked and secured, and that all pets are wearing proper identifica­tion with current contact info on a properly fitted collar or harness.

We highly recommend that all pets are microchipp­ed for added safety and protection. Microchips are a quick and easy way to reunite lost pets with their families.

Beginning Tuesday, we will be lowering our $25 microchip fee and providing LOWER-COST microchipp­ing for ONLY $20 until July 6! The $20 microchipp­ing fee includes the microchip implantati­on, a microchip identifica­tion tag, and a lifetime registrati­on with ZERO hidden monthly or annual costs!

Microchipp­ing does not require any surgery or down time. The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted the same way a vaccinatio­n is administer­ed.

The microchip contains a number that is specific to the pet and to that pets owner or guardian. The microchip can be detected by any animal shelter, veterinari­an, or animal welfare profession­al using a microchip scanner. This is how the owner can quickly be contacted in the event that a lost pet is found.

No appointmen­t is needed for microchipp­ing. Just come into the shelter with your pet(s) during our business hours, or join us on June 29 at Tractor Supply Co. in El Centro from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We will have a shelter team member at that location providing lower-cost microchipp­ing for the fur-kids of our community. We will also have some shelter doggies at the event who will be available for adoption!

This Fourth of July, please help us keep hundreds of pets safe by spreading the word, and please ensure the safety and well-being of your beloved fur-kids. We hope to see you all soon!

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