In the weeks leading up to the 4th of July, Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter began working on a very important project, finding volunteers to help comfort the dogs and cats awaiting adoption who get stressed out by the loud pops, bangs and whistles that are associated with the holiday.
The shelter put out a call on social media, looking for people to come in to read, sing, play music for, or just hang out with cats and dogs to help keep them calm. The response was overwhelming and 186 individuals volunteered their time!
“All of the noises caused by celebrations are really terrifying for the animals and they don’t understand what is happening,” said Celeste Ingrid, program coordinator for the Bradshaw Animal Shelter. “The human voice can be a very powerful tool for calming animals down. When the volunteers started singing, playing their instruments and started reading, you could see the animals start to relax.”
This was the second year the Bradshaw Animal Shelter hosted these comfort sessions. The first comfort session was held in 2019; comfort sessions were put on hold in 2020 due to COVID-19 public health orders.
If your pet escaped during the 4th of July weekend, the Bradshaw Animal Shelter has some tips for helping to bring them home quickly:
- If your pet is microchipped, call the microchip company to let them know that your pet is missing. The company can then set up some sort of alarm for the pet.
- Check all accommodations, websites, and social media, and not just those in your area. Dogs in particular can run far when they are scared.
- Contact shelters for up-to-date information on animals in their care.
- Hang flyers or post on social media pages and apps to get the word out. Sites like Nextdoor and Facebook are good local resources to tap into.
- Talk to your neighbors.
- Ask your postman. He or she may have seen your pet during deliveries in your area.
For a list of lost and found pet resources, including a list of pets currently at the Bradshaw Animal Shelter, visit
animalcare.saccounty.net.
