GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Fourth of July fireworks were popping all weekend and all across the country.
While they may be festive, they also cause local animal shelters to fill up, with so many pets running off scared of the loud noises.
Michael Haygood and his Rottweiler, Dakota, have been inseparable for the last year. Mike is a fireman in Greensboro and while he was working this Fourth of July holiday his sweet Dakota got startled by the fireworks and went missing.
"Family members of mine watch her while I'm at the fire station, and so Sunday night, July 4th, they took her out for a walk and the story I got from them is when the fireworks was going off, she was afraid and got away from them."
Dakota was last seen in the area of Youngs Mill and McConnell Road, near Creekside neighborhood. She's only 1 year old and weighs about 100 pounds. She has a black back with a brown belly.
"She's a friendly dog, but she is very protective over me. She's not aggressive, she's never met a stranger," Haygood said.
Unfortunately, missing pets are very common this time of year.
I spoke with the Guilford County Animal Shelter about what are the things you need to know if you find yourself in this kind of situation.
- People are welcome to come in person and look for their lost animal
- Go to their website and look through the lost & found pets (updates every couple hours) Website
- If you find a lost pet or a missing one you can go their website and file a missing pet report Lost pet report
- Microchip is the best and most efficient way to get your pet back.
Haygood said he got Dakota shortly after he beat cancer a little more than a year ago. If you have any information about Dakota, you can email him at mhaygood93@yahoo.com