The 4th of July is over, but the work is just beginning for the KC Pet Project and other animal shelters.
Tori Fugate with KC Pet Project says the combination of recent storms and fireworks, they expect to see a high number of pets come in.
"Last year, we had over 200 pets that arrived the week following the Fourth of July so a lot of animals are going to come to us in need and our staff is preparing for that," Fugate said.
Fugate says the summer, in general, brings in several animals.
“We get almost a thousand pets every single month during the summer months,” she said.
That's where Stephanie Charsha steps in, the lost and found coordinator who tries to reunite pets with their owners, whether that's over the phone, or through social media.
"Recently, I went as far as to find somebody on Instagram in order to get somebody to get them in," Charsha said. "I sent him a direct message on Instagram and he came in and got his dog the next day."
Both Fugate and Charsha say they encourage getting your pet microchipped.
They say they do see quite a few dogs microchipped, but the information isn’t up to date.
"It's so frustrating to have a microchip and say 'Oh! This dog looks really well taken care of, her nails are trimmed, she's been groomed recently.' She's got a microchip and then the numbers are not in service," Charsha said. "So it's like I'm so close and then I'm not able to make contact with the owner."
KC Pet Project encourages pet owners to make sure their pets' microchip and collar information are up to date.
If you have lost your pet, you can fill out a form on KC Pet Project’s website, so employees can keep an eye out at the shelter.
