More Michigan Pets Go Missing in July Than Any Other Month

Hang on to your leashes, Michigan. More pets go missing during the month of July than any other month of the year.

Lost Pets Are Rarely Reunited With Their Families

Mark Jakubczak is the founder of Pet Amber Alert and he shared a startling statistic about lost fur babies.

He says that only about 14% of pets that become lost are reunited with their families. Roughly 30 to 60% of those lost pets are euthanized because they cannot be identified and are never returned to their owners.

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July is a Busy Time for Pet Shelters

Animal shelters across the United States see an influx of pets during the first few days of July each year. The reason? Fireworks. While most humans enjoy fireworks shows, intermittent, unexpected loud noises are often stressful for pets and can cause them to run.

More pets go missing between July 4 and July 6 than any other time of year.
Animal shelters in the US typically see a 30 to 60% increase in lost pets each year between July 4th and 6th.
July 5th is said to be one of the busiest days of the year for animal shelters.

Keeping Pets Safe in July

Whether you're attending a small neighborhood celebration or a large city-wide fireworks display, experts advise keeping dogs on leashes in order to prevent them from getting away.

If possible, it's best to keep pets at home and inside during fireworks displays. Confine pets to a crate or a familiar, comfortable room and provide comforting sounds like radio or TV audio in order to keep them calm.

We've outlined five useful tips to help keep pets safe during fireworks season.

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

Gallery Credit: Rachel Cavanaugh

10 Animals You Can’t Own As Pets In Michigan

Some people really want to have an exotic pet in their home, but very rarely is it a good idea. And if you are looking to add a wild animal to your family, check out this list of animals you can not own as pets in Michigan.