Salina Animal Services is teaming up with Petco Love, a national non-profit working to lead and inspire change for animals, and Kat Albrecht, founder of Missing Animal Response Network, ahead of Lost Pet Prevention Month in July to share important safety tips for pet parents and raise awareness of a new innovative technology that helps missing pets, Petco Love Lost.

According to the animal shelter, estimates say 1 in 3 pets will go missing in their lifetime, with search results and shelter intake higher around the Fourth of July holiday than any other time of the year, and many of these pets may never make it back home. However, simple preventative steps can be critical to keeping pets where they belong, at home with the families that love them.

Petco Love, Kat Albrecht, and Salina Animal Services share five ways to keep pets safe this 4th of July:

• Protect your pet before and after the holiday: When panicked by fireworks and other loud noises, dogs run, and cats hide. Early fireworks celebrations and leftover fireworks catch many pet parents off guard, so be prepared to protect your pet a week before and after the holiday.
• Keep your pet secure: Think about your pet’s behavior as you decide to attend holiday celebrations or leave them safe at home. To keep your pet safe indoors, crate them or place them somewhere comfortable and turn on a TV or stereo to drown out loud noises. If you’re outdoors, properly leash your dog. Loop the leash around your shoulder so that your dog is still attached to you if you trip or fall.
• Check your yard and home: Ensure your yard and home are secure and your pet cannot escape when panicked. If you’ve recently brought a new pet home and have not yet experienced fireworks together, be cautious that they may react negatively. Make sure your yard’s fence is sturdy with no loose boards, nothing your dog could climb and jump over, or dig and crawl under, and that window screens and exterior doors to your home are securely in place.
• Keep your pet’s ID tag and microchip up to date: Microchip your pet and ensure your contact information is registered and up to date. Make sure your pet has a properly fitted collar with a current ID tag. This goes for cats too! If your cat does not wear a collar and tag, try a temporary paper tag.
• Register your pet on Petco Love Lost: Upload your pet’s photo to Petco Love Lost, a free national lost and found database. If they go missing, one click will allow you to search thousands of found pets from animal shelters and individuals quickly using patented pet facial recognition technology.

“Salina Animal Services often sees a rise of lost pets during this holiday, and together with Petco Love, we urge pet parents to keep their pets safe,” said Monique Hawley, Salina Animal Services Manager at Salina Animal Services. “This helps us preserve critical space and resources for the pets most in need throughout our community.”

Petco Love Lost was launched last April with more than 1,000 industry partners, and positive initial user feedback with 96% of those surveyed recommending the tool1. This new national database with search powered by pet facial recognition technology makes it possible to scan through thousands of found pets from individuals and shelters across the nation with a single photo in less than a minute. If a pet parent doesn’t immediately see a match, they can receive real-time notifications of new possible matches. Additionally, conducting a physical search of the immediate area is critical. According to data collected from Petco Love Lost users, 66% of pets found are within one mile of their home2. Pet parents should not give up hope. Nearly 13% of users reported it took more than a week to locate their lost pet.

“The fact that 1 in 3 pets will go missing in their lifetime is why we launched this single platform that connects shelters, pet parents, and good neighbors together,” said Petco Love President, Susanne Kogut. “Our goal is to make Petco Love Lost the free, simple-to-use tool accessible to all pet parents, as well as any person who finds a lost dog or cat should the unthinkable happen.”

To learn more about Salina Animal Services, visit salinaanimalservices.com and follow Facebook. Petco Love Lost is here to help if you’ve lost or found a pet. Visit petcolovelost.org or join the conversation @PetcoLoveLost on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via hashtags #PetcoLoveLost and #LoveandFound.