County animal shelters took in 45 dogs between 7 p.m. Tuesday and noon Wednesday, part of an annual surge of lost canines that typically become frightened at the sound of fireworks.
County Department of Animal Services Director Daniel DeSousa expects the number to climb as more dogs are rounded up in the next few days. He said July 5 is typically their busiest day of the year.
"If someone is missing their dog, they can check our website or visit our shelters to see if we have their runaway pets," DeSousa said. "We encourage people to look at surrounding shelters, too, as dogs can easily run from one shelter's jurisdiction into another."
Dogs are waiting in our County animal shelters for owners to come get them after the July 4th fireworks. https://t.co/6S9UuR1Sw pic.twitter.com/kVpnV7JtyJ
— SanDiegoCounty (@SanDiegoCounty) July 6, 2017
RELATED: San Diego County Microchipping Dogs For Free Before July 4
County officials also suggested trying the Finding Rover app, in which users can upload a photo of a missing dog to find a match, or posting "missing dog" fliers around their neighborhood.
Dogs without identification are eligible to be put up for adoption if left in a shelter for three days. Animal Services will try to contact the owner of dogs with IDs, but they can also be put up for adoption if not picked up in five days.
The county shelters in Bonita, 5821 Sweetwater Road; Carlsbad, 2481 Palomar Airport Road; and San Diego, 5480 Gaines St., are open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
