COLORADO SPRINGS — Marie Milligan-Hughes has been visiting the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region multiple times a day since Saturday, hoping she will eventually lay eyes on her family's beloved dog, Kira.
"Our dogs, before we had kids, were our babies. She's been with us through it all... Getting a house and everything, and all those stressers, so yeah she is definitely a member of the family."
The 6-year-old rescue squeezed through a fence in the Hughes's backyard on Saturday July 2, as fireworks went off in the air while Kira was let outside for about five minutes to use the bathroom, according to her owners.
Kira has yet to be found, but over 100 stray dogs wound up at HSPPR between the morning of June 2 and closing time at the shelter on July 5. HSPPR says as of Tuesday evening 43 dogs have been reunited with their owners.
"It's definitely overwhelming and of course we're gonna be here for the community and help in anyway we can... Just asking for patience if you are working with us to get your pet back and understanding that we have seen an influx of animals and we really do wanna get those pets back to their owners," said Colette Bradley, Director of Marketing and Communications at HSPPR.
HSPPR says despite proactive messaging telling community members to keep a close eye on pets on July 4th weekend, the amount of strays brought in over Independence day weekend this year has been higher than in prior years.
If you lost a pet, HSPPR recommends coming down to the shelter in-person and joining Facebook groups which might be sharing stray animals and where they are.
If you find a stray, you can register it as a lost animal with HSPPR here.
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