The Fourth of July, with booming fireworks and sizzling firecrackers, is prime time for runaway pets, said Ben Miller, supervisor of the Tracy Animal Shelter.

“The fifth of July is the busiest day of the year,” he said.

Miller guessed that, during the week following the Fourth of July, the shelter impounds four or five times the normal number of stray dogs and cats.

The majority are returned to their owners, he said. But reuniting pets and their people is made more difficult by the fact that few pets wear ID tags.

Miller said a surprising number of owners don’t put collars or tags displaying the owner’s phone number and address on their pets. It’s the easiest way to make sure a missing dog or cat is returned home, he said.

Miller explained there are easy steps owners can take to make sure animals don’t run away in the first place during the Fourth weekend.

• Take your pets inside.

• Turn on the radio or television or have some other kind of familiar noise in the background.

• Have a veterinarian prescribe a mild sedative if your pet is especially sensitive to loud noises.