Kat Albrecht and her team spent the days after the Fourth of July rustlin' up terrified pooches who had run away from home during the fireworks. They found even more than they'd bargained for--including one dog who'd been lost for a year.

Kat Albrecht trains a team of volunteers in loose dog recovery work at a recent seminar in Yosemite, California. Hardin Weaver

During the Fourth of July festivities, dogs who have never shown any inclination toward life in the fast lane jump over gates, dig their way out of backyards, chew through fences--anything to escape the commotion. And for some pet owners, even the best laid plans to prevent such wanderlust can go awry.

Last summer, knowing the fireworks would sppok his pooch, Brad Mnes of Visalia, California, tried to put her out of harm's way. "I work in a commerical area where there's not a lot of noise, so I figured she'd be better off down there in the secured yard, says Manes.

But the enclosure proved to be no match for Missy Mocha Brown, a chocolate lab. "I don't know how she did it," says Manes, "but she got through the chain link fence."

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