TAMPA, Fla. — The Fourth of July is an exciting night for most of us, but the fireworks can bring a lot of anxiety for household pets.
This week, fireworks shows will be lighting up the skies across Tampa Bay. For some pets, every explosion is scary.
"A lot of animals will be pacing, there'll be panting, some will be barking, others are kind of cowering," Christina Walton, the volunteer coordinator with the Suncoast Humane Society, said. "So every animal is a little different."
"So it's, it's really hard on them," Walton explained. "And so being able to have someone there to comfort them really brings down their anxiety level."
This is why the Suncoast Humane Society is asking volunteers to come help out at their shelter on July 4. From 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, the humane society will host a BBQ with free hamburgers and hotdogs to encourage volunteers to come out and help the dogs and cats in the shelter.
"Either come in and foster one of our animals for the night, comfort them in their own home," Walton said. "Or we're doing a barbecue here at the shelter where they can come in, and we're going to serve some food at four o'clock. And then for the rest of the evening until 10, they can come in and help us comfort the animals during all the loud noises."
Now, if you've got your own dog or cat at home to worry about, here's some advice from a vet.
"Providing them with a place to hide in the sense of security may be in some, in some sense almost as effective as some medication," Colleen Elligott said.
Elligott is a veterinarian at Lakeside Animal Hospital in Odessa. There are also prescription medications you can get from your vet for your pets that are FDA-proven to help calm them.
At Suncoast Humane Society, the shelter is full. There are 35 to 40 dogs and 25 to 30 cats there now.
"So there's a lot of a lot of paws that need some love," Walton said.
The Humane Society also said they typically see more animals being brought in after the Fourth of July, likely because the fireworks spook the pets, causing them to run away.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.