It’s nearing the middle of the summer, and North Texas animal shelters — already burdened by a spike in strays — are dealing with an influx of dogs and cats who don’t have a home.
Fourth of July celebrations often put a strain on shelters since animals often get spooked by fireworks and escape from their owners’ yards, explained Amanda Atwell, spokeswoman for Dallas Animal Services.
“When dogs hear these loud noises and these wild bangs like the world’s ending, they’ll find any way they can to get out of their backyard,” Atwell said.
Prior to July 4, the shelter put out messaging about how to keep pets safe and advised people to keep animals indoors in a secure location during Independence Day festivities.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
“We do think it had a level of impact because we did see a lower intake this year than we have in previous years,” Atwell said.
Still, intake numbers at the shelter range from 40 to 80 dogs daily, and the Dallas shelter was at about 120% capacity as of Tuesday morning.
Grapevine Animal Services also saw an influx of pets at its shelter after the Fourth of July, even after encouraging residents to keep their dogs safe indoors during festivities, said manager Kristina Valentine.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The Grapevine shelter has also seen a rise in the number of animals from other municipalities in the area, which makes it even harder for pets to find their owner, Valentine added. Other times, pet owners turn their own animals in as “found,” which increases the amount of time animals wait in line as strays — instead of as up for adoption.
