Long Beach Animal Care Services Launches Annual Foster the Fourth Initiative

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PRESS RELEASE

Above: Fostering pets around the Fourth of July helps free up kennel space at Long Beach Animal Care Serices and eases anxiety for animals by giving them a temporary home.

Long Beach, CA - Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) is launching its annual Foster the Fourth initiative, encouraging community members to open their homes to shelter pets during one of the busiest times of the year. The effort focuses on community education, including preemptive pet safety and community-based reunification tips, while emphasizing the importance of fostering during the busiest time of the year for runaway pets. Fostering this time of year helps free up kennel space at LBACS, eases stress on animals by giving them safe, temporary foster homes, and ensures LBACS can prioritize runaway pets in crisis come Independence Day.

"Fostering helps pets feel safe and supported during a stressful time and frees up valuable space needed for incoming lost pets," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "Foster the Fourth is an easy way community members can directly contribute to our local animal welfare."

A kickoff event will be held on Thursday, June 18, at LBACS (7700 E. Spring St.) and will include expanded hours until 7 p.m. and concierge-style matchmaking to help potential foster families meet and select the right foster dog. Partners Blockhead Brigade, K9 Kismet and Zoom Room will also be onsite to provide valuable fostering resources. Foster families will be provided with food, veterinary care and comfort supplies. Additional extended hours for foster matchmaking will take place on Tuesday, June 23 and June 30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Every Independence Day, LBACS typically receives an influx of dogs that have run away from home due to fear of fireworks. The sudden bright flashes and loud noises from fireworks can cause animals to panic and run onto roadways, resulting in unsafe conditions for both animals and drivers alike. The volume of lost animals also results in strained resources and limited kennel spaces at LBACS. That's why encouraging short-term fostering during this season is vital.

"The Fourth of July is one of the highest-intake times of the year for shelters," said Long Beach Animal Care Services Bureau Manager Melanie Wagner. "Our focus is keeping families and pets together by making sure our community is prepared before fireworks begin and by encouraging neighbors to hold onto found strays so they can be reunited with their families quickly."

LBACS is encouraging the community to take the below steps to keep pets safe at home during this time of increased fireworks activity and support lost-pet reunification efforts before bringing a lost pet to the facility for intake.

Pet Safety Tips

• Keep pets indoors, ideally in a quiet and secure room.
• Create a calming environment using music, fans or white noise.
• Ensure microchips are updated with current pet owner contact information. Need a microchip? Visit LBACS during an upcoming low-cost microchip clinics.
• Make sure pets wear ID tags, even if they are indoor animals.
• Ensure that your pet has a current license. Need a license? License your pet through DocuPet.

Community-Based Reunification
If you find a lost dog, keeping the pet safely with you for at least 48 hours is often the fastest way to reunite them with their family. Most lost pets stay close to home, so allowing them to remain in the neighborhood greatly increases the chance of a quicker reunion. Holding onto a found dog, even briefly, keeps them near the area they were lost, prevents unnecessary shelter stays and preserves critical kennel space for animals that truly need emergency care. LBACS encourages residents to report found pets immediately with a photo, post on local social media or neighborhood groups, and, if safe, check with nearby neighbors to help reunify pets locally. LBACS can provide supplies such as food, crates and beds to anyone able to hold a lost pet temporarily while efforts are made to connect them with their families. If you encounter a lost pet and are unable to keep it with you, you may bring the pet to LBACS (7700 E. Spring St.) or call 562.570.7387 for an Animal Control Officer to respond.

The LBACS campus, traditionally closed on the Fourth of July, will be open this year on July 4 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for support with lost-pet reunification and assistance with found strays.

For more information or to view lost and found pets, visit longbeach.gov/acs or call the main line at 562.570.7387.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. More information about the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine is available at LBParks.org and by following us @LongBeachParks on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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