A whole heap of pets in South Australia have gone missing after freaking out and bolting during huge storms over the weekend, serving as a needed reminder for pet owners to keep their lil’ guys inside during storms and loud, firework-filled events like New Year’s Eve.
Co-founder of Lost Pets of South Australia Christine Robertson spoke to ABC Radio to report that they received hundreds of calls from worried pet owners when their pets legged it during the storms.
“Not just the one or two, the reports were literally coming in every couple of seconds,” she said, per ABC.
“It was actually really sad to see because everyone knew the storms were coming … but the level and intensity were unexpected to a lot of people and dogs who were never frightened before suddenly became frightened … they just ran because they were so scared.”
According to SA Power Networks, the state saw approximately 110,000 lightning strikes over four days leaving 150,000 homes and businesses without power.
Although storms can be scary for us, Roberston says that it’s significantly more terrifying for pups.
“Dogs hear things 10 times louder than what we do, that thunder would have been so loud,” Robertson explained.
“With the thunder, dogs have this thing where they run then there’s another clap of thunder in a slightly different place — they run erratically, they’re not just running in one direction. When they’re frightened, they have massive adrenaline.”
Storms Aren’t The Only Things That Pet Owners Should Be Worried About
Robertson said that due to the loud fireworks, New Year’s Eve is another day her organisation sees a spike in furry friends making a run for it. In fact, it’s so predictable that she says it kinda pisses off her team when the phone calls start coming in.
“That’s so predictable that we get a bit angry about that because people know fireworks are going to happen and yet dogs are still left outside,” she said.
Despite being slightly salty, Robertson makes sure to roster at least 20 people to make sure the runaway pets are reunited with their owners. Of course, it makes it a whole lot easier if the pet is microchipped and wearing a collar with a phone number.
So as we creep towards New Year’s Eve, make sure to look after your tiny furry mates by not only keeping them inside during the fireworks but ensuring they are microchipped and wearing a collar just in case they get spooked and run for the hills.
I, for one, will be holding my own furry son in a tight, loving embrace as an extra precaution.
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