Lake Highlands dog Agent Bauer: Photo by Kim Leeson

Dog Agent Bauer: Photo by Kim Leeson

So imagine you’re a dog, just chillin in your hammock after a long hot day when suddenly the sky erupts — booming, crackling, catching fire, exploding. It is terrifying, for Dog’s sake!

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And that is why your pet is more likely to make a run for it on Independence Day than any other day of the year, according to a friendly reminder from Dallas Animal Services‘ Jody Jones.

“The Fourth can be a very scary time for pets. The sights and sounds are very frightening,” she says.

She suggests area residents make the preemptive move of downloading an app that can help reunite pet owners with lost animals — it’s called Finding Rover and creators boast “state-of-the-art technology that enables anyone to instantly identify missing dogs by simply taking or uploading a photo of the dog. The facial recognition technology for dogs has proven to be 98 percent successful.”

Added bonus: If you download the app before July 4, you can support Dallas Animal Services by helping the organization secure a $20,000 grant, which would go toward caring for homeless animals.