Pitt County Animal Services stresses importance of pet safety during summer months

PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – Summer is here, and the 4th of July is only a few days away. It’s the time of year when lots of us spend time outside, celebrating with large groups of people, or watching fireworks. With that, it’s important to keep heat safety in mind for not only yourself and your two-legged loved ones but your fur babies, too.

Melanie Sartore-Baldwin, a Dog Owner and Mutt Strutters Program Administrator says, “I sit in my house and I think about the dogs that are living in this heat, it’s very disconcerting because even 5-10 minutes outside can be very deadly very quickly.”

Pet owners and those who work hands-on with animals are reminding people of pet safety in the summer months.

“We’re not going any further than ten minutes for most of the dogs. We stay in the shade; we have water dishes with us as we walk, and if we see signs of heat exhaustion or anything like that, we bring the dog back immediately. Any incidents that we have, we do make sure that there are protocols in place to make sure that the animals are okay. We stay on the grass and we’re out early enough that it’s not quite that big of a deal yet. We stay in the grass, we stay in the fields, or we go to the play yards just so we can protect their paws a little bit and stay close to water sources,” Sartore-Baldwin told WITN.

Chad Singleton, Pitt County Animal Services Director says the heat isn’t the only factor to consider this summer with the upcoming 4th of July on Thursday.

Singleton says, “The 4th of July, we’re very humid here. Loud noises and things such as that are a concern for us. The key that I think for the community is to watch for loud noises. Though it seems favorable for you to take your animal with you to these spectacular events, they also are very fearful of noises and such and so typically what we see here at the animal shelter is an influx of animals that are scared from the loud noises.”

PCAS says it’s best to know your surroundings and be aware of how your pets may react.

“If they start to hear loud noises and such, go out and bring the animal inside, kind of comfort it so that it doesn’t get scared and kind of run away,” Singleton told WITN.

“Be very aware, be very vigilant if you see your dog struggling. The only way that they can really sweat is through panting and so if there’s excessive panting, that could hurt their breathing so just be very cognizant,” Sartore-Baldwin also says.

If you notice your furry friend isn’t doing so well in the heat, Sartore-Baldwin says to act fast. By doing so, that will help ensure a safe and fun summer for not only people but also pets. “We bring them inside. We do provide them water, little bits of water at a time so that they don’t throw it back up. We will put some towels on them to try and cool their bodies a little bit. Then, we do our best to maybe sit with them a little extra longer and make sure that they are okay, and then if we need to get someone from the staff or from Spay Today to check them out then we will.”

According to Singleton, there are currently around 63 cats and 63 dogs at Pitt County Animal Services which is considered full.

Singleton told WITN that PCAS typically sees an uptick this time of year due to more people being out along with runaway pets due to loud explosions such as fireworks and large gatherings.

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