Recognizing New Year’s fireworks can be stressful for many pets, Maui Humane Society is suggesting owners take a few easy steps to help keep their furry friends from getting lost.

The beginning of the New Year is typically a busy time for the Maui Humane Society’s pet resources department, which manages the intake of lost pets and works to reunite them with their owners.

The department lists found pets at mauihumanesociety.org/lostandfound, and the staff combs through lost pet reports to make as many matches as possible as quickly as possible.

“Our priority is to keep pets where they feel safest, which is at home with the people who love them,” said Jennifer Goguen, director of pet resources. “We see how frightened pets become when fireworks send them running, exposing them to traffic and other real dangers, and it’s something no family wants to experience.”

Tips to protect pets on New Year’s Eve

• Keep pets indoors: Provide a quiet, secure space where pets feel safe.

• Update identification: Ensure collars, tags and microchips are current. In a pinch, owners can wrap their pet’s collar with duct tape and write their phone number on it with a permanent marker.

• Comfort measures: Use calming aids, background music or a favorite blanket or toy to help pets relax.

Tips to reunite lost or found pets

• Submit and review reports of lost or found pets at mauihumanesociety.org/lostandfound.

• Post lost or found pet information to community Facebook pages, the Nextdoor app, etc.

• If it is safe to do so, those who find pets not in distress are encouraged to hold onto them temporarily while seeking their ‘ohana, as they may not be far from home. This allows Maui Humane Society to prioritize pets in critical condition.

Also, any donations to Maui Humane Society will be doubled up to $25,000 through Dec. 31 at mauihumanesociety.org/holiday2025.