Have a safe and sane Fourth of July!

Here are some tips to help get your companion animal (and you) safely through the holiday:

1) Don't take companion animals to fireworks displays. Their hearing is much more acute than ours so sudden explosive sounds can cause agitation and stress.

2) Keep your companion animals in a sheltered and quiet area when at home as residential neighborhoods can have their share of noisy fireworks "shows."

3) Never leave companion animals unattended while outside. If panicked, they can escape even from fenced yards. More dogs run away on the Fourth of July than any other day of the year.

4) Never leave a child or animal in a vehicle, not even for a short period of time. In warm weather, a car's interior can quickly heat to temperatures that cause suffering, heatstroke and death. And leaving car windows slightly open will NOT keep the car interior sufficiently cool.

5) Companion animals should have identification, whether tags or microchips, to help reunite them with their caretakers should they become lost. Shelters are taxed with the sudden influx of stray dogs and cats following the Fourth of July so any ID will help lost companion animal recovery.