- July 12, 2025
Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services, speaks about how thunder jackets can help dogs, including Goliath, keep calm on the Fourth of July. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services, and her dog Goliath. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services, speaks about how thunder jackets can help dogs, including Goliath, keep calm on the Fourth of July. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Goliath wears a thunder vest. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services, demonstrates ow to scan for a chip using 6-month-old Zoe as an example. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services, demonstrates how to scan for a chip using 6-month-old Zoe as an example. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services, demonstrates how to scan for a chip using 6-month-old Zoe as an example. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Minnie, the Volusia County Animal Services office cat. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services, shows how Feliway works to help keep cats calm. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services, and Minnie, the 12-year-old office cat. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
With Fourth of July fireworks just a few days away, Volusia County is issuing a reminder on how to keep pets safe and calm during the holiday.
"Fourth of July is actually like Animal Control's Black Friday," said Angela Miedema, director of Volusia County Animal Services. "It is the busiest time of year that we will ever have, and we need the most amount of Animal Control officers out there because a lot of people don't realize the stress that it does put on their animal."
The holiday is also the most common day for pets to get loose from their owners, Miedema said, as pets can slip away from collars after being spooked by fireworks.
To make sure pets stay safe this holiday, Miedema recommended the following tips.
Tags, a collar and ideally, a microchip, are some of the key aspects of having a good outcome, should your pet get lost.
Pets can be scanned for a microchip at veterinary offices, local animal shelters and fire departments.
"Most pets are found within 1-2 miles of their home, so we actually wanted to provide a very easily accessible way to get them re-evaluated," Miedema said.
Miedema also demonstrated how a thunder jacket — a compression vest designed to help reduce anxiety in pets — can help.
Using her own dog Goliath as an example, Miedema explained that these vests can reduce blood pressure, heart rate and help soothe in times of stress with a pocket wired to play lullabies.
"A lot of dogs, they don't get exposed to fireworks on a regular basis and those sounds can be very frightening to them," Miedema said. "Especially if you're not at home because you're enjoying enjoying a fireworks display. So we want to make sure that the stress is reduced."
For cats, Miedema suggested calming aids, such as a Feliway diffuser, which puts out pheromones to reduce stress.
Volusia County also recommended:
Due to an outbreak of canine pneumovirus, the Halifax Humane Society is currently not accepting strays dogs.
If your dog is lost on the Fourth of July, pet owners should check other nearby animal shelters, including the Southeast Volusia Humane Society, Edgewater Animal Shelter and New Hope Animal Shelter in DeLand.
