Pets who fled July 4 fireworks being reunited with their people thanks to these groups
It was puppy Gunner’s first Fourth of July and he was terrified.
When the blasts started Saturday (in Everglades City, independence is more of a season than a single day), the hound/cur mix scrambled up his family’s 7-foot backyard fence, bloodying himself on the way over, and disappeared.
“We didn’t even think that would happen, and I know that sounds dumb,” said owner Jordan Mayberry, “but our other dogs we’ve had before this were used to guns and hunting, and they were never afraid of fireworks, so we never thought, ‘Oh, we’ve got to put the dogs in the house. But now we know.”
The frantic Mayberry family offered a cash reward, printed and shared posters and took to social media.
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Stories like Gunner’s happen every year: When the explosions begin, pets panic and bolt. In the aftermath, neighbors, social media users, nonprofit rescuers and government agencies work to find the missing and reunite them with their families.
In Gunner's case, the ending was happy. On Wednesday, some crabbers heard some odd sounds on the muddy, mangrovey banks of the Barron River (known for its big gators), which flows through town.
"They said, 'It sounds like a dog,' so they got in the canoe and went over and he was there ... I don't even know how he made it over there – he was probably scared to death," said owner Jordan Mayberry.
Without all of the attention, she thinks he might not have been found. "But with all the social media, through the shares on Facebook, and it's such a small town ... everyone knew and word got out."
With hopes of a similar outcome, several Southwest Florida reunification efforts are ongoing, including the one that started before the Monday holiday.
“We had transporters bring animals to us to be scanned all weekend long,” said Melissa Harris York, of Lee County-based Triple T Pet Finders, which uses old-fashioned shoe leather and social media to get pets and their people back together. “Our phones literally blew up all weekend...and we’ve reunited 47 dogs and three cats so far.”
In Collier County, Lost Pet Finders of Collier County does similar work and is one of the places the county’s Domestic Animal Services directs owners who’ve lost pets to search, in contrast to Lee’s, which has chronically troubled relationships with some animal rescues, York said.
But because it’s not always convenient for residents to bring found animals to the county facility within 24 hours (as county ordinance mandates) Lee County Domestic Animal Services staff scheduled outreach Thursday and Friday, said spokeswoman Betsy Clayton in a release. “It’s called the “Do What’s Right – Reunite” initiative,” Clayton wrote. Staff are at various off-site locations to be available for residents to bring stray animals to be scanned for microchips.
Collier’s animal services agency did not return calls asking if a similar event was planned.
To the north in Babcock Ranch, Ann Kurn is searching for her retired Irish racing greyhound Ember, who broke away from Kurn’s elderly mom, who had her on a leash. Like Mayberry, Kurn is heartsick, especially because her mother has dementia “and she doesn’t understand why she’s gone.”
York says she feels for those who've lost pets. Next time there are fireworks, she has some advice: "Invest in a two-dollar leash – even if it's in a fenced yard," she said. Or, better still, bring them inside. "If they mess in the house, clean it up. You've still got your dog."
To help
If you've spotted Ember, call 239-218-9273.
Lee County Domestic Animal Services: 239-533-7387; online:https://www.leegov.com/animalservices
Collier County Domestic Animal Services: 239-252-7387; online: https://www.colliercountyfl.gov/government/public-services/divisions/domestic-animal-services/lost-a-pet
Lost Pet Finders of Collier County: 239-571-5608
Lee County's Triple T Pet Finders online: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057400031363Lost Pet Finders of Collier County online: https://www.facebook.com/groups/320416408362670
Lee County’s What’s Right - Reunite event:
Thursday, July 7- North Fort Myers Recreation Center, 2000 N. Recreation Way, North Fort Myers, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Thursday, July 7- Veterans Park, 55 Homestead Road, Lehigh Acres, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Friday, July 8- Estero Recreation Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd., Estero, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Residents arriving with stray animals they have found are asked to have dogs secured on leashes and cats placed in carriers. For more information call 239-533-7387 (LEE-PETS) or visit www.LeeLostPets.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: July 4th fireworks: How to find your pet who fled because of fireworks
