Santa Barbara County Animal Services hoping for more adoptions leading up to July 4th

They’re our furry friends, often being able tag along everywhere, enjoying the same activities – except when it comes to July 4th.

“The Fourth of July is the busiest time of year for shelters across the nation because the fireworks are so scary, they’re something that they animals aren’t used to,” explained Stacy Silva, Community Outreach Coordinator for Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

The summer months also bring on the start of fire and hurricane season. Last year, the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society and the Animal Services location in Santa Maria accepted a bus load of puppies from Hurricane Harvey. During the Thomas Fire, Santa Barbara County Animal Services helped more than a thousand pets.

“Being a municipal animal shelter we may be called at any moment to provide mutual aid to other counties or outside agencies that may need our support during their disaster season,” Silva said.

For the county, busy shelters means the need for open kennels.

“Kennel space at our shelter is one of the most valuable things that we have and that’s because we’re always ready to respond to the next emergency whether that’s within our community or outside our community to help,” Silva explained.

Now the shelter is looking for help of their own to open up space in case of an emergency and the influx of dogs they find on the streets after July Fourth.

For a limited time dogs can be adopted for $25 at the county’s three shelters, more than $80 less than their usual price.

“When we don’t have kennel space, it really puts a crunch on our ability and the number of animals we’re able to assist and having kennel space is imperative to us in order to do our job,” Silva said.

If you aren’t planning on adopting a dog, the shelter still asks that you prepare your pet for the Fourth of July by making sure your dog is wearing a current license tag and has updated microchip information.

Their adoption special ends July 7th.