It’s a fact: more pets go missing around the 4th of July than any other time of year. While the holiday brings fun activities like cookouts, gatherings of family and friends, parades, and more, it also comes with a not-so-fun statistic: animal shelters report a 30% to 60% increase in the number of stray pets around Independence Day, according to PetAmberAlert. Why? It’s pretty simple: animals find loud noises terrifying – the bangs, booms, and pops of fireworks are scary. What’s worse is that less than 15% of lost pets are returned to their owners.

The good news is that losing a pet is preventable, especially if you take action before the holiday. Make sure you’re prepared a few days ahead of July 4 in case your pet does manage to escape by making sure they are easily identifiable. One of the best ways to do this is by making sure your dog or cat is licensed with Regional Animal Services of King County, and that their license is securely attached to their collar. That way, if your stray pet is found, they can be identified and you can be quickly reunited.

You can quickly and conveniently license your pet online at kingcounty.gov/LicenseMyPet.