Town Lake Shelter Receives More Strays Than Usual Post Fourth

Thousands enjoyed Fourth of July fireworks last night, but, as expected, plenty of pets did not.

The Town Lake Animal Shelter was ground zero this morning for pet owners looking for dogs and cats who ran away trying to escape the loud bangs.

There have been some reunions between owner and pet, and hopefully there will be more...

It's a well-known fact pets can get freaked out by the big fireworks shows and firecrackers going off in neighborhoods. They often run away and are picked up by passers by or animal control

Over at the Town Lake Animal Shelter, they had 38 dogs and five cats brought in from last night through mid-morning Saturday.

That's more than usual, and the phones at the shelter are ringing off the hook with worried pet owners wondering if their dog or cat was one of those turned in. Other people who say they found pets and don't know what to do with them.

“If your animal is missing, definitely let us know but also definitely come down and visit the shelter. Your animal may be listed as a different breed than you might call it. Come down and check in person,” Amber Rowland with the shelter said.

“We'll continue to get pets that were lost on the Fourth of July for several days and even weeks to come. Some people will hold onto the animals for as long as they can and try to locate the pet owners on their own before they finally bring the animals down to the shelter,” she continued.

So don't give up if you're pet isn't at the shelter right away, because sometimes people hang onto them for a few days and put up flyers trying to locate the owners themselves.

The shelter put a picture of each animal brought in on its website.