With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the Calvert County Department of Public Safety reminds pet owners to be extra cautious. New sights, sounds and people can cause pets to become over-stressed and may prompt them to act out.
To reduce stress on pets and ensure the safety of others, it is advised to secure pets when visitors are present. Pets may not react well to new people or young children and may become confused, scared or overprotective, causing them to bite unintentionally. If a pet does bite, please secure the animal immediately and seek medical attention.
Pet owners should ensure gates stay latched and doors remain closed when pets are outside to keep them from potentially escaping. If an animal does become loose, citizens should fill out a lost pet report online at www.CalvertCountyAnimalShelter.com/lost. The Linda L. Kelley Animal Shelter will not take lost-and-found reports over the phone.
It is also important for pet owners to remember that certain holiday foods, flowers and plants can cause harm and, in some cases, can be deadly to pets if ingested. Guests and children should be cautioned not to feed pets table scraps because foods that vary from the animal’s normal diet can make them sick. If you suspect your pet may have ingested something and is acting differently, contact your veterinarian or the nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
For a list of foods and plants that can be harmful to pets, visit the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals online at www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control.
The Linda L. Kelley Animal Shelter provides compassionate, humane care and treatments to the shelter population and responsibly finds new homes for animals in the community. The shelter is currently open by appointment only as a precautionary measure to slow the spread of COVID-19. Adoption inquiries can be made by phone or email. For more information about the animal shelter, please call 410-535-7387 or visit www.CalvertCountyAnimalShelter.com.
