Hundreds of pets in Tri-Cities reported lost or stolen during Fourth of July

Animal control responded to several reports of animals who had been hit by cars and more than 100 reports for lost or stolen pets this Fourth of July.

Director of the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter and Control Services Angela Zyler says those numbers are usual compared to years past.

"This year we exploded, we had 34 calls for service since 5 p.m. Saturday night, typically on other Fourth of July's it has been 5, maybe seven," says Zyler.

She says if you have lost or found a pet you can call the shelter at 509-545-3740 and leave a message, she says they do monitor the messages even though the shelter is closed. The shelter reopens on July 6th, as does Benton County Animal Control.

She says the best advice for next year is to secure animals in a place where they can not dig or maneuver their way out.