America will mark its 250th birthday this Fourth of July, and there are lots of celebrations planned all over the nation for the milestone. Many of those celebrations will include fireworks, both professional displays and people shooting off their own.

While most areas of King County have banned most types of consumer fireworks, it’s a good bet that you’ll still hear a few bangs, booms, and pops around Independence Day. To help your pet cope with the noise and reduce the chance that they run away, Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) offers these tips:

• Keep your pet secured indoors in the quietest room of your home while fireworks are audible. You can also use soothing music or television as a distraction. Some pets will stay calmer when placed in a secure crate in a darkened, quiet room, or in a room with a TV or quiet music to help cover up some of the noise.
• If your pet is normally kept outside, bring them inside or put them in a well-ventilated garage, shed, or in a basement while fireworks are going off.
• Make sure your pet has at least two forms of identification. This can be a pet license and personalized tag, a license and a microchip, or all three (license, tag, and microchip). Pets with ID have a much greater chance of being returned to their owners.
• Don’t assume that your pet won’t react just because you haven’t had problems in the past. Sometimes, pets become sensitive to loud noises later in life.
• If your pet is lost, check in person at all local shelters, and check back often. It may take some time before spooked pets are brought to shelters.

If your pet does manage to escape, RASKC is ready to help.

The King County Pet Adoption Center in Kent will be open for regular business hours after the holiday to help owners looking for their missing pets. Staff and volunteers can help owners search the stray pet kennels and file a missing pet report. The Pet Adoption Center is open weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. and weekends noon to 5 p.m. The center will be closed on Saturday, July 4 for the holiday.

For more help, check out our Lost Pets page at kingcounty.gov/LostAPet for tips and to fill out a report. If you’ve found a stray pet, visit our Found Pets page at kingcounty.gov/FoundAPet for tips on how to help them get reunited with their family.