Happy Fourth of July Weekend!
The Fourth of July is one of our favorite holidays here at Equipaws Pet Services. In our humble opinion, taking care of our clients’ pets in between bites of barbecue, watermelon, and sips of lemonade is one of the best ways to spend this weekend. Because we accompany many pets on this holiday, we know firsthand how frightening can be for them. Even the bravest alpha dog may be affected by the excitement of extremely loud fireworks, gunshots going off in the air, and the sounds salsa (hey, it’s Miami).
We’re happy to share Petfinder’s beautiful graphic depicting the possible issues your pets may have to deal with this holiday and tips for avoiding them. Our main concern for this weekend as pet sitters is to keep dogs and cats indoors during fireworks; fireworks and furry kids don’t mix. They can spook our clients, or even cause injury or death in extreme cases. It’s important to walk your dogs earlier in the evening or morning to avoid the evening’s fireworks.
Another issue is proper identification and collars on pets; July fourth and fifth are the busiest days for animal control because so many pets run away scared. It’s important to have the right ID on your pets to facilitate reuniting with them. Of course, if your pets get lost you should:
-Call Miami-Dade Animal Services first and foremost.
-Set up flyers with photos around your neighborhood
-Post your pet’s photos online, on Lost and Found sections such as this one on Craigslist.
The key to a great holiday weekend is, as with most things animal or child-related, prevention. Please read the graphic below, absorb it, and have a wonderful July Fourth weekend!
A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.