By Josh Davis –
Chief Dog Warden Josh Davis from the Brown County Animal Shelter would like to offer some advice on protecting pets from the cold.
With the cold weather upon us your pets could get hypothermia or frostbite as the wind chills dip down below 0 degrees.
Brown County Dog Wardens are warning owners to bring their pets inside to a protected area, such as a garage or basement.
Dogs are susceptible to the cold, just as we are. They can get hypothermia. They can get frostbite and they can have all of the same issues that humans do.
We’ve been trying to educate people the last couple of years on this, and this time of year it becomes critical.
Pet owners should use straw, heated water bowls and kennels if their pets have to be outside. Just putting a dog house out in the yard isn’t enough to keep your dog warm.
The law is simply inadequate to deal with these extreme temperatures. We try to help the owners anyway we can. We’ve even provided dog houses and straw. But the best defense against extreme weather is to just bring your dog inside.
The Brown County Animal Shelter receives about 10 to 15 calls a week about tethered dogs left outside in freezing temperatures and follows up on every one.
Earlier this year, an Ohio law making it a felony to abuse a companion animal went into effect. Dick Goddard’s Law is a fifth degree felony to cause “serious physical harm” to any companion animal, including depriving a pet of food, water or shelter.
If you need advice on how to keep your dog happy, healthy and warm just call the shelter. We will be happy to help you.
The Brown County Animal Shelter can be reached by calling (937) 378-3457.