The Animal Foundation took in 93 animals between July 4 and July 5 as fireworks across the Las Vegas Valley sent frightened dogs and cats bolting from home, according to the shelter’s own count.
The total includes all intakes, not just strays and lost pets, and also covers surrenders and other admissions.
It gives Las Vegas dog owners their first real look at how badly this year’s fireworks season hit local shelters.
The number lands well below the pace of past years. Last year the shelter took in 549 animals over the first ten days of July, and only about 18 percent of those pets ever made it back to their owners, a gap the shelter had been bracing for with a foster drive and fee waivers it announced ahead of the holiday.
The Animal Foundation said most lost pets are expected to arrive at the shelter over the next couple of days rather than all at once, so the total is likely to keep climbing through the week.
Shelter staff are urging anyone missing a pet to act quickly and locally rather than wait for an online match.
Owners should walk their own neighborhood and ask neighbors to check garages and yards, since many dogs never make it far from home.
Contacting the microchip company to confirm current contact information is another key step, along with posting the pet’s photo and description to neighborhood groups such as Nextdoor and to Petco Love Lost.
Physical flyers around the immediate area still help, according to the shelter.
The Animal Foundation also keeps an online lost and found listing of animals currently at the shelter, which owners can check without making the trip in person first.
The spike comes the same week The Animal Foundation opened on its usual day off for a special adoption event and Clark County named its preferred site for a second public shelter, part of a broader push to free up kennel space before the holiday intake wave, reports Fox5 Las Vegas.
Dog owners in Las Vegas and across Nevada should expect elevated noise and firework activity to continue through the week around America’s 250th birthday events, so keeping collars, tags, and microchip information current remains the best protection against a repeat scare.
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