When the mercury drops, please keep your pets safe and warm indoors.  Franklin County Animal Care and Control recommends taking extra precautions to protect your pet in frigid weather. 

• Keep your pets inside!   Whenever temperatures dip below freezing, pets should be kept indoors except for brief trips outside when nature calls.  This is particularly true with older dogs, puppies or animals that are sick.
  
  
• Wipe your pet’s paws to remove ice from the pads, and any salt or chemicals used to melt ice on sidewalks, driveways.  If you do plan to walk your dog, or spend  time exercising him outside, consider buying him a sweater or doggie coat to help retain body heat, and boots to protect his feet from the ice and snow.
  
  
• Bring outside dogs inside, too.  Even with special insulation, dog houses provide little protection from sub-zero temperatures or wind chills.  Bring outside dogs inside to a garage or basement if possible.  Keep outside dogs safely confined in a crate or kennel to avoid getting into dangerous chemicals used to melt snow or ice, or antifreeze, which can be fatal.
  
  
• Provide extra food for outside pets during winter.   They need more calories to produce the necessary body heat to stay warm, and provide fresh water several times a day.  Pets can’t drink ice!
  
• Any dog left outdoors in cold weather needs a warm dog house with plenty of straw and additional bedding inside.  Face the dog away from the wind and provide a flap to help keep the dog's body heat inside.  Please contact us if you need a dog house or additional straw.