For people, thunder and lightning can be a scary. But imagine what it would feel like if you were a dog.
"Dogs ears are a lot more sensitive than our's" said Katie Woolsey, a spokesman for the Escondido Humane Society. "We as people can reason that it is safe, but they unfortunately can't and the fight or flight kicks in and they run away."
Woolsey said on the day of the lightning strikes, 47 animals were brought in in; 18 in less than an hour. Usually they don't get more than 10 animals a day.
Among the lost pets was Miguel Rivera's dog, Daisy. "She was barking because of the lightning and then she went out back and then she was gone" said Rivera.
"The kids really like her, and she's a real nice dog, really good."
Rivera was able to spot Daisy amongst the other temporarily homeless faces, "I'm blessed she's safe" he said.
Woolsey reported that about half the dogs recovered were reunited with their owners the next day.
But, the Humane Society is worried about future thunderstorms in the forecast.
Woolsey suggested keeping dogs or other pets inside for the time being. She recommended, "maybe have some ambient noise like TV or radio to drown out some of the loud booms that can come".
She said this is also a good time to remember to microchip your animal. Microchips are about the size of a pencil tip and are injected into the animal's neck. If your animal is lost, they can be scanned at shelters to find out the owner's contact information.
Of course, there is also the old fashioned collar with name identification.
Besides these thunder and lightning storms, the 4th of July fireworks consistently cause dogs to run away from home.
In any event, Woolsey said, pay attention to the pets you are leaving at home.
