SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The fireworks are over, but lost pets coming into the San Diego Humane Society during the July Fourth holiday is only beginning.
As of 3 p.m. on Saturday, 110 stray animals have been brought to the shelter.
“Today is the day we see the results, for the most part, from the Fourth of July fireworks,” Nina Thompson with the San Diego Humane Society said. “We've been busy. When we opened up, there were already folks bringing pets in.”
One of those looking for their lost dog is Oscar Cerecr.
“Unfortunately, the fireworks have scared our lovely dog and found a way to escape,” Cerecr said.
Cerecr said his one-year-old German Sheppard mix is named Stormy and knows his dog doesn’t like fireworks.
“So, we put her in the safest place we could where she would be the most comfortable because for us, it's all about comfortable, making her feel safe,” Cerecr said. “We took every precaution we could, but still, that wasn't enough. She got spooked, she jumped, ran away.”
Last year, 117 stray pets were brought to the shelter on July 5th. There were 314 animals taken in from July 4th through July 7th in 2024.
“We're anticipating another 300+ animals come in in the following days,” Thompson said.
But there are those who found their pets at the shelter. It happened during our conversation with Thompson.
“It hits you, it gives me goosebumps to see the reunion between an animal and their family. The animal doesn't know what's going on or why they're here. The family members are clearly anxious to be reunited,” Thompson said. “It's really the best, and that's what we want to see for every single animal who comes through our door as a stray, we want them to go home.”
The same thing happened to Cerecr, who received a message saying their dog had been found, and Stormy was at the shelter.
“We got our family member back,” Cerecr said. “I’m excited to bring her back. We're going to spoil her today. We're going to take her everywhere, take her to the park and really make sure she feels loved and feels safe.”
The Humane Society told ABC 10News it’s waiving reclaim fees for those who pick up their lost pets. It's also posting all of the lost animals that are coming into the humane society’s care on its website, so you can find your lost pet at any of its four campuses.
