BEAUMONT, Texas — When temperatures begin to drop, Southeast Texas animal care centers begin to see an increase in calls concerning suspected animal neglect.
Concerned pet owners are often the ones keeping a close eye out for animals in distress.
“It was too cold. I had to bring him in the house at my washroom,” Shirley Henderson, dog owner, said. “I don't understand people. These animals have feelings just like human beings."
Viviana Lopez is an adoption marketing coordinator with Beaumont Animal Care. Lopez said the center usually does not get many calls to check on animals, however, Thursday night saw an influx.
“For the weather, there was maybe around eight to ten calls regarding animals being outside that need to be checked up on,” Lopez said.
The good news is that animal experts have resolved most of the calls that have come in recently. Only one dog had to be impounded because they could not locate the owners.
Some resolutions are as easy as asking pet owners to add more straw and blankets to outdoor doghouses. Other times, dogs have had to be impounded and brought to the shelter.
“Most time, it's the shelter that they have to fix and people don't mind either going out and buying the appropriate dog house or really just bringing the animals inside for the night,” Lopez said.
Animal experts expect the cold weather to persist for a few more days, so they are offering tips on how to keep our furry friends safe. The best practice is to keep them inside.
“If there's no way your animals can come inside for the night, I think definitely just make sure they have enough straw in their kennels to keep them warm," Lopez said. "Blankets, if you have heaters, anything like that because the winds are really strong, and we definitely want to make sure they stay warm.”
Lopez said inadequate sheltering is what commonly gets animal owners in trouble when it comes to cold weather safety.
“Shelter classifies as three walls, a roof and a ground that is not dirt or grass, so they need to have something elevated to keep them warm and dry,” Lopez said.
Experts said a good rule of thumb is that if a person is cold then an animal will be cold.
“I’m gonna [sic] let him get back in the house tonight because it's too cold,” Shirley Henderson said.
A common mistake that pet owners make is thinking that a dog's layer of fur is enough to protect them from the cold. This is sadly not the case, and experts said animals are not as warm as Southeast Texans like to think.