Dog ran away during fireworks or a thunderstorm: what to do tonight
Search tight hiding spots near home once lightning has passed, keep someone at the door, file reports tonight and reach the shelters when they open.
What to do tonight
Start where your dog got out and search outward on foot with a flashlight, looking low and in tight spaces. Keep one person at home by the door. Text the neighbors on each side and behind you while they are still awake. File a lost report with animal control and post in your local groups before you sleep. At first light, walk the same ground again, then go to the shelters in person. If there is lightning or flooding outside, wait until it has passed. A frightened dog may be hiding under the next porch or may have run a long way, so tonight’s search starts close and tomorrow’s goes wider.
Why a calm dog can bolt
The Merck Veterinary Manual describes noise phobia as a sudden, profound response that can lead to panic or attempts to escape confinement, and names fear of thunderstorms as the most common form. Cornell’s veterinary college adds that the source of firework noise can confuse dogs, so they may frantically try to get outside. That is why a dog who has never tested a door or fence may do it tonight. Practitioners at Missing Animal Response say a dog in blind panic can travel fast and far and avoid people, even a dog that is not normally fearful. Treat that as field experience, not measured fact. Nobody can tell you which kind of night your dog is having, so plan for both.
Stay out of the storm
The National Weather Service says there is no safe place outside when thunderstorms are in the area, and that if you can hear thunder you are likely close enough to be struck. It also says it is never safe to walk or drive into flood water, and that 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult. So spend storm time on indoor work: choose a clear photo, make your poster, text neighbors and file reports. Go out when the storm has moved on, with a charged phone and a light. Fireworks are different, and you can search while they are going off. Wear something reflective and keep off the road, because drivers on a holiday night are not looking for you.
Where to look first
Hiding is one of the fear signs Cornell lists, so think small and dark. Walk your street and the next one slowly. Check under porches, decks and parked cars, behind air conditioners and trash cans, in window wells, and inside open garages and sheds. Humane World for Animals advises checking backyards, with the owners’ permission, and nearby green spaces before you widen the area. Hold the flashlight low and look for eye shine. If you find your dog, stop where you are. It may not respond to you right away. Sit down, turn sideways, speak quietly and let it come. Do not reach in and drag it out, because Merck notes that fearful dogs can become aggressive when cornered or held. See our post on how to catch a scared lost dog for the full method.
Get the house ready
In a national ASPCA survey, 20 percent of recovered dogs returned on their own, so make coming back easy. Keep someone home if you can, and leave the porch and yard lights on. If your dog knows a particular gate, open it, as long as your other pets are shut indoors. Put a worn shirt or your dog’s bed on the porch with a bowl of water. Turn on motion alerts for any doorbell camera and set them loud enough to wake you. Do not leave a door standing open while fireworks are still going off, since your other animals are frightened too. If you sleep, sleep near the door with your phone on.
Reports to file before bed
Shelters are probably closed, so leave a message and use any online form. Give the time, cross streets, description and your number. Call the nearest 24-hour emergency vet, because a dog that was hurt going through a fence or was hit by a car may be taken there overnight. Report your dog to its microchip registry and check that your phone number is current. Then post in local groups with wording like this: Ran from fireworks near Oak and 5th at 9:40 tonight. Medium brown female, very scared. Please do not chase. Call or text with the time and direction. Use cross streets, not your house number.
Go to the shelter early
Denver’s shelter reported that July 5 was its single busiest day of 2016, with 30 stray dogs taken in, and other shelters describe similar surges after the holiday. Staff usually cannot tell which animals ran because of fireworks, so read that as a sign of crowded kennels and not as a count of panicked dogs. Go in person when the doors open, take a photo and check holiday hours first. Stray hold periods vary. Oakland, California holds a stray without ID for four business days, including a Saturday, and Lee County, Florida for three days. Ask your own shelter how long it holds strays and whether a holiday changes the count.
More noise is coming
Holiday fireworks often run for several nights, and one storm front can bring another. Once your dog is home, Cornell advises keeping it on a leash outdoors even in a fenced yard, taking bathroom breaks earlier in the day and using a familiar room with few windows. VCA suggests an interior room for thunder and advises seeing a veterinarian first for a fearful dog, who can check for medical causes and prescribe medication if needed. Have a vet look at your dog after the escape too, since cuts and sore paws are easy to miss under fur. Keep collar ID and chip details current, and do not punish the dog for running. Cornell warns that punishment adds to the distress.
Sources
Merck Veterinary Manual: merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/behavior-of-dogs/behavior-problems-in-dogs. Cornell Riney Canine Health Center: vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-topics/fear-fireworks-and-thunderstorms. VCA: vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/fear-of-noises-and-places-in-dogs. National Weather Service: weather.gov/safety/lightning-safety and weather.gov/safety/flood-turn-around-dont-drown. Missing Animal Response: missinganimalresponse.com/lost-dog-behavior. Humane World for Animals: humaneworld.org/resources/how-find-lost-dog. Weiss et al., 2012: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4494319. Colorado Public Radio: cpr.org/2019/07/10/wheres-fido-if-its-july-5-probably-at-an-animal-shelter-with-dozens-of-other-lost-pets. Oakland Animal Services: oaklandca.gov/Community/Pets-Animals/Lost-and-Found. Lee County Animal Services: leefl.gov/animalservices/lostpet/foundpet.