Stop your pet escaping: fireworks, gates and the gaps you can't see
4 min read
Search-and-rescue volunteers see the same triggers every year. Each has a cheap fix that takes an afternoon.
Fireworks and thunder
Bring pets inside before dusk on known firework nights, close curtains, and run background noise. Create a den — a covered crate or an interior room without windows.
Panic escapes go through screen doors and over fences a dog would never normally clear. Double-latch gates that night and check the ID tag is on.
The gaps you can't see
Walk your fence line at your pet's eye level once a season. Look for washouts under palings, loose boards, gaps behind sheds and anything stacked near the fence that makes a launch pad.
Fit self-closing hinges to gates and a spring latch — most 'someone left the gate open' escapes are actually a gate that never latched.
Moving house and new pets
A pet in a new home has no map. Keep cats indoors for two to three weeks and dogs on lead in the yard until they've learned the boundary and their new routine.
Update your microchip registry and your app profile with the new address on day one, not next month.
Have your search kit ready
Keep three current photos on your phone — side-on, face, and any unique marking — plus your microchip number saved in your notes. If the worst happens you can post an alert in under a minute instead of hunting for pictures.
Post a free alert on Pet Social
Free to post, free to search, and every first conversation stays private inside the app.
Reunions, sightings and tips daily on Instagram — @petsocial2026