As people plan Memorial Day traveling, local shelters may see an increase in stray animals following the long weekend. With warmer season kicking off and travelers getting ready to hit the road, here’s how pet owners can keep their furry friends safe.
Idaho Humane Society’s Laurien Mavey explained Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the warmer season when shelters and veterinarians see an increase in calls about dogs left in hot cars.
“When it’s 70 degrees outside, it takes only ten minutes for the inside of a car to get to 90 degrees,” she said. “People don’t realize how quickly temperatures rise in a closed car.”
Mercedes Biehl from the Bannock Humane Society in Pocatello said animals are also more likely to slip away when their routine is disrupted and their owners distracted. Those who plan to camp or take their pets on the road should pay extra attention.
“They're more likely to take off during [those] kinds of settings because they're not being watched as much,” she said, adding shelters always anticipate a spike of lost and found animals during holidays.
“if you take the animals traveling, they're not familiar, they're stressed, they're in a new environment,” Biehl said. “It's kind of like fight or flight, they just react and they take off.”
Biehl added owners should avoid bringing dogs to a memorial day parade, unless they know for sure they won’t get spooked by the crowds, and keep them leashed at all times if they do.
“People bring their animals to it and then the animals take off, because of all [the] noises and lights. The best thing to do is just to keep your animals inside during [the] gatherings,”
Biehl recommends making sure pets are microchipped and wearing a collar with their owners' contact information.
