Animal experts are stressing the importance of taking care of pets during the July Fourth holiday weekend.

They say fireworks can be overwhelming for pets and that they may try to run away because of the barrage of loud, frightening noises.

They recommend keeping pets inside and turning on a TV or music to help drown out the noise. Owners are urged to make sure pets have collars and identification.

"They should make sure their dogs are micro-chipped and that they have identification tags, so if they could be startled by the sounds, by activity and they take off, that you're able to find them again and people are able to identify them as belonging to you," says Lisa Barnett, of Paws of Norwalk.

Experts say that along with the noise, the flashes of light and smells can also affect pets.