TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WAWV/WTWO) – A local animal shelter has seen an increase in intakes recently, some of which are lost pets.

The Terre Haute Humane Society has seen an increase in animal intake since the Fourth of July.

Assistant Director Jennifer Ewing said while it’s typical to get up to ten animals a week, she said in recent weeks that number has nearly tripled.

“During the fireworks, a lot of them will get spooked and they’ll go under or over the fence,” Ewing said. “We see an increase at least 35 or 40’s.”

While the shelter’s intake is a mix of both cats and dogs, Ewing said more dogs are being brought into the shelter recently.

“Dogs a little bit more than cats definitely, probably 10% more,” Ewing said.

Life-long Terre Haute Resident and co-creator of a local online missing pets community Angela Murphy said, she’s seen a recent rise in sightings since she first started to take missing and found inquiries over ten years ago.

“July 4th and the 5th is the busiest time,” Murphy said. “I would say maybe 10 to 20 sightings a day come through the page.”

In addition to making sure fences and gates are closed and secure, Murphy and Ewing said it’s important to have your pets micro-chipped.

“Unfortunately we don’t see very many that are micro-chipped especially cats,” Murphy said. “It’s no longer expensive anymore to get your this done, and there are clinics that will do micro-chipping at a low cost.”

“That’s going to prove ownership so it is very critical that you do microchip your animals,” Ewing said.

Ewing encourages owners to continue to check in with the shelter for missing pets since the THHS wants to see animals back with their owners.