Busy Day at Animal Shelter

Today, July 5, is a busy day at the animal shelter as more pets go missing on the 4th of July than any other day of the year, says Angel Newman with the Oconee Humane Society. “Folks are frantically looking for their pets because their pets are really scared of fireworks. If people maybe thought their pet ran off and will come back but maybe won’t, please call Oconee County Animal Control to let them know you are looking for a pet. Then get down to Animal Control from 10am to 5pm each day to take a look if you are missing a pet.” The number for Oconee County Animal Control is 864-888-0221. The summer is also a good time to ensure pets have ID tags or microchips with current contact numbers, adds Newman. “If you have just a simple ID tag, you can buy them at any local store and have them printed real quick with your phone number. If you have that minimal information, somebody is going to give you a call and say hey I’ve got your pet. If them come into a shelter, they’re going to check for that ID tag first but then they are going to check for that microchip, which is so important. That microchip stays with a pet for a lifetime, so that is not going to come off, fall off, rub off or anything.” Microchips are painless for pets and could mean the difference in a pet being returned or not.