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Keep Furry Friends Inside During Cold Weather

|Photo by Josie Burkhart| The Belmont County Animal Shelter deals with cold temperatures by rotating staff when taking dogs outside to walk them and clean their kennels.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Professionals advise people to keep their pets inside during frigid temperatures to keep them safe and protected.

Belmont County Hoof & Paw Humane Agent Julie Larish said there are a few different reasons to bring pets inside, such as the animal breathing in cold air, which lowers their body temperature. She added that even though the dog may look fine, the more cold air the animal breathes in, the more it has a chance to develop hypothermia.

Although dogs’ paws are hardy, most breeds absorb the cold through their paws, which causes cracking and bleeding even with bigger dogs, according to Larish. Pyrenees, German shepherds and Huskies may be bigger and furrier, causing people to think they have very hardy paws and can withstand the cold. They still need to have the option of coming inside and sometimes they don’t take it because they enjoy the cold, Larish said, but they need to have the opportunity to get out of that weather to protect the pads of their paws.

Larish also recommended having warm or lukewarm water for pets to drink, which will help them warm up from the inside out. Cold water can lower their body temperature to the point where they’re not going to move.

“Animals, just like humans, the more you move, the hotter you get,” Larish said. “And if they’re not moving because they’re not feeling good, or they’re not moving because they’re on a chain, or they’re not moving because they’re stuck in a kennel, they’re not being able to warm up their bodies, which is eventually going to cause their death.”

Larish said people can still let their pets outside to use relieve themselves but to bring them back inside. Larish owns a Kangal, which is very tolerant of the cold, and he goes outside, does his business and comes back in.

“That’s what they need to do. They do need to go outside,” she said. “I’m not saying they can’t go outside at all. What we’re saying is to limit.”

Larish compared the situation of animals being outside to that of a child who goes sled riding and has fun, so they’re ignoring the fact that their fingers and toes are numb. Dogs are the same way, like small children who want to go out and play but don’t know what’s good for them.

Larish also said if someone wants to know what it’s like for a dog chained out in the cold, put on a coat and boots and go outside and stand without moving for an hour.

She suggested putting a dog jacket on a pet to break the wind when outside and added that the wind chill is really low during frigid temperatures like the region is experiencing this week.

She also wants people to make sure their animals have plenty of food and lukewarm water.

When someone keeps a dog in a box outside with blankets, that blanket gets cold and freezes when it gets into snow. Instead, people should use straw or wood chips because the water rolls off those materials, according to Larish. Avoid using hay because, just like a blanket, hay absorbs water.

Larish said the state of Ohio requires people to have a natural windbreak of some kind for livestock, such as cows and horses. This could be trees or a contour of the ground where they can go. She also suggests putting blankets on horses and to not trust that springs or troughs aren’t icing over. She recommends using heated water for the animals, and if not heated water, Make sure their water is not frozen.

If an animal won’t drink, put a little bit of rock salt on their hay to make the animal want to drink water.

For newborn livestock, Larish said it would be wise to bring them in if feasible, but animals do have a natural way of keeping their young warm. For animals brought indoors, get milk replacer and bottle feed them inside and then reattach them to their mother once the temperatures rise.

According to Larish, under Ohio Revised Code 959.131, the companion animal section of Ohio law, neglect can lead to misdemeanor and felony charges. Neglect of an animal is abandonment without proper food, water and shelter, failure to provide proper food, water and shelter and tethering a dog outside without proper care, according to the National District Attorneys Association. Larish said if someone’s dog dies out in the cold, they’re likely to be charged with a felony. Subzero temperatures will cause dogs to die if left outside long enough, she said.

Larish said it is mainly up to a humane officer to decide if living conditions for an animal are sufficient. As a humane agent herself, she will go to a house and if she sees a dog has been outside for an extended period of time with no warmth, straw or wood chips in the animal’s box, she will press charges. She emphasized that if the dog is living as if it wasn’t cold, that’s a living condition issue and a humane agent’s decision. Ultimately, the decision regarding criminal charges comes down to a prosecutor deciding if they will take on the case based on available evidence.

Larish wants people to call local law enforcement if they see dogs left out in the cold for too long. She said Hoof & Paw is overwhelmed with the number of calls it is getting right now.

She recommends people to talk to their neighbors if they see their animal left outside for too long, but to call law enforcement or Hoof & Paw if they get a negative response. People can also ask their neighbors if they can help by leaving straw for their dog.

Belmont County and Ohio County animal shelters have their own methods to keep the animals in their care warm.

At the Belmont County shelter, approximately 55 dogs are only going outside to relieve themselves but coming back in afterward, according to Dog Warden Lisa Duvall. While dogs are outside getting hand-walked by members at the shelter, other staff are cleaning and disinfecting the areas for the dogs inside.

Duvall said it’s very treacherous for the staff in the cold, and they rotate between walking the dogs and cleaning.

Duvall said it’s important to not keep the dogs outside for too long so they don’t get frostbite in the subzero temperatures.

The Ohio County shelter is taking a different approach to keeping its 19 dogs and one puppy warm.

Usually when the staff cleans, the dogs go outside. But with the temperatures so low, the shelter isn’t taking them outside at all, according to Manager Lori Russell. Instead the staff is moving the dogs to other spots inside while they clean. They also have the dogs in beds up off the ground and give them blankets.

Russell said the dogs tend to use the bathroom in their cages, which is why the staff scrubs them a few times a day because it is bitterly cold and too hard on their paws outside.

“Be kind to the animals. I mean, that’s the bottom line,” Larish said. “They’re your friends. They are your family. And if you have a dog that you’re leaving out on a chain or in a box for extended periods of time, be aware people are watching, and people are going to be reporting it.”

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