Please bring your pets in from the cold!

[FreeIs4Me]

I need to vent before I go to bed.

I just came in from outside with my dogs - their last trip out before bed. It is just after 1 am & the temp is 31 degrees. My hands are numb, my dogs ears are cold & their noses are even colder. I could hear several dogs howling in the distance. :( Not barking - just howling to be let in where it is warm. Do the owners not realize it is cold out? :mad: Not just cold - below freezing. Just because the animal is wearing a fur coat does NOT mean that they can not feel the cold.
What are these owners thinking? Definitely NOT about their pets that's for sure! :confused:

BRING YOUR PETS INSIDE WHEN THE TEMP IS BELOW FREEZING!!!!!

ok, I feel a little better for yelling. I just needed to get that off my chest.

My dogs & I are off to bed. Yes, they will sleep under the covers (as usual). At least MY dogs are safe, warm & know they are loved. :D

[Denise1972]

My BIL was always being a butt about letting the dog in the house in the winter. This was when I was 15-20 years younger. I used to stay the night there alot with my sister. After my BIL went to bed, we let Yeller in hehehe. I wouldnt let that poor dog be out in the cold. He was so happy to be in. He would wag his whole body. I used to throw a blanket in the dryer and wrap it around him. I miss Old Yeller. I love that dog so much. He looked JUST like the Dog Old Yeller in the movie. He was my buddy, and I am not much of a dog person.

[queenangie]

Isn't this common sense? When it's freezing outside, your pet will be freezing too.

One of our neighbors has a little 'doghouse' that matches the regular home
that is the size of a small tool shed.
It's cute and has not only air conditioning
but also heat in there.
It has a doggie door as well as a people sized door
and the surrounding yard is enclosed w/ a fence.
Now that dog is pampered!

[DivineMsDi]

It may be common sense, but many people are cruel to animals or consider them below people. Some jerks think just because the dog or cat has a fur coat that it can "survive" winter outside. :mad:

Good post!

[Aloha from paradise]

Please call the Humane Sociey ASAP. They can help to educate people about the risks these animals face.

[schsa]

I have to have my dogs in when it's cold outside. Who else is going to keep me that warm! Bring your pets inside. They feel the cold as well. And puppies can die if they are left out in the cold.

[suziebee20]

Of course my dogs are in... I can't even get them to go out! I had to set up newspapers all over the house because they abosulutly refuse to go out because it's cold. Stanley, my pug, hates having cold feet, so he'll stand by the door and look out like I'm nuts. If I try to shove him out a little, he'll put his paw on the cold cement and jump back in. I even tried carrying him to go out and go potty and he jumped into a lawn chair. We stood out there until I froze and the little turd went potty about 3 minutes later in the house! At least it was on the newspaper.

It's sad people leave their poor pets out. :(

[Denise1972]

I used to have a cat that wouldnt go outside when it was snowing, to use the potty.. She was normally an inside cat, and she never went potty in the house. BUT when the snow came, SHe LOVED to "GO" in my room. YUCK hehe. I dont blame her. I wouldnt want my butt cold. I had to buy a litter box for the winter. I miss my kitty

[mommyof1]

I have to admit, the big screaming letters of the original person is really too much.

I am an animal lover. I have an adopted Chichacha for four years. She was an abused animal by the previous owner's grandchildren. Thank goodness the grandparents had the good sense to place her with SPCA. The first year she lived with us, she stayed at the foot of my bed, under a quilted/fleece throw and shook. REally sad. She is a different dog today except she still prefers 600tc sheets. LOL.

I also have an adopted mix breed. The sweetest looking puppy you had ever seen. She is also the biggest pain in the butt dog I have ever known. I was brought up in a household with horses, dogs, cattle so I am familiar with animals but this dog is really a big hassle. The only reason I have not given her away (or given her to SPCA) is that I am fearful that she will be abused. She is that much trouble. I will never get rid of her because she digs, chews, tears up yards and much more. Plus she graduated from obedience school. :eek: I show her the diploma but she just wants to chew it, LOL

My point/question is do I really need someone to tell me to bring in my animals? My shepard/mix has an insultated dog house that my daughter;s father built. Probably has more insulation in it than most of our homes, I watched him build it. The thing is, Shadow will bark and bark and bark until I bring her into the garage and put her in a big old cage. It is on top of a couple of things of insultation also, I throw blankets over the top to keep her heat in.
I do not feel like I need someone to tell me what to do with my animals.

You may have heard my dog howling and barking, but believe me, she is not abused. The vet told me some dogs bark to relieve stress like babies cry to relieve stress, kind of different but at least an explanation that makes sense to me.

Just a different opinon and I thank you for caring for animals that do not have good parents.

I forgot to mention that wolves survive in under freezing temps. Not that we wnat our babies to have to do this, but if God made them with thick coats, it was probably for a reason. Just a thought.

[FreeIs4Me]

I have to admit, the big screaming letters of the original person is really too much.

I am an animal lover. I have an adopted Chichacha for four years. She was an abused animal by the previous owner's grandchildren. Thank goodness the grandparents had the good sense to place her with SPCA. The first year she lived with us, she stayed at the foot of my bed, under a quilted/fleece throw and shook. REally sad. She is a different dog today except she still prefers 600tc sheets. LOL.

I also have an adopted mix breed. The sweetest looking puppy you had ever seen. She is also the biggest pain in the butt dog I have ever known. I was brought up in a household with horses, dogs, cattle so I am familiar with animals but this dog is really a big hassle. The only reason I have not given her away (or given her to SPCA) is that I am fearful that she will be abused. She is that much trouble. I will never get rid of her because she digs, chews, tears up yards and much more. Plus she graduated from obedience school. :eek: I show her the diploma but she just wants to chew it, LOL

My point/question is do I really need someone to tell me to bring in my animals? My shepard/mix has an insultated dog house that my daughter;s father built. Probably has more insulation in it than most of our homes, I watched him build it. The thing is, Shadow will bark and bark and bark until I bring her into the garage and put her in a big old cage. It is on top of a couple of things of insultation also, I throw blankets over the top to keep her heat in.
I do not feel like I need someone to tell me what to do with my animals.

You may have heard my dog howling and barking, but believe me, she is not abused. The vet told me some dogs bark to relieve stress like babies cry to relieve stress, kind of different but at least an explanation that makes sense to me.

Just a different opinon and I thank you for caring for animals that do not have good parents.

I forgot to mention that wolves survive in under freezing temps. Not that we wnat our babies to have to do this, but if God made them with thick coats, it was probably for a reason. Just a thought.

First, as far as my screaming - I did feel like screaming!! I was VENTING - that is why this is under vent/whine. If I felt like saying something just to say something about the subjext, I would have written in normal letters in the OT.

Second, Since you are new here to posting - If you don't like what is being written - don't read it. You can very easily back out of the thread.

Third, I am outside with my dogs enough to know how many dogs are barking/howling at 1 in the morning. Very rarely do I hear a dog bark at that time, as that is their usual "last call". You refer to the vet & stress. I think that the dogs were feeling stressed by the cold. We haven't had that many nights at that temperature for them to be "used to".

Fourth, These dogs around here are domestic animals, not wolves. Yes, they are in the same family, but the aren't the same. One of the dogs howling sounded like a basset or a beagle. They do not have thick coats.

Finally, If you really loved your dogs as much as you say you do - Why do you play favorites? The tiny one can sleep in your bed in a nice warm house, but your mix has to stay outside in a dog house. It may be insulated better than most houses, but that does not mean it is warm inside - especially if there is no door on it like most dog houses. Houses can be very well insulated, but when it gets we have to turn the heat on to warm up, right? No wonder Shadow barks - she wants to be where it is warm too. She may not be stressed - just jealous. If she is a "trouble maker" like you say, BUT she is willing to sleep in a "big old cage" - get a smaller crate that will fit in your house for her. You are so afraid someone will abuse her so you won't give her to the SPCA, but if you willingly let a dog stay outside without a heated shelter on a below freezing night, that is abuse.

[Katt]

Actually, some dogs are meant to be outside. Umm my neighbor has a wolf mix, it says outside. My labs stay outside, although they do have insulated houses that also have a layer of ceder chips to keep out bugs, and a layer of hay to help with heating. They also get their food brought to them warmed from the stove, as well as their water. Their coats are made to withstand temps. (this is why they have the oil layer, to protect them when they are in very cold water) Because my animals stay outside, does not mean I don't love them, or that I abuse them. Leaving them outside in a habitat in which they are used to is not abuse. I talked to my vet a long time ago and he said those dogs were raised outside (in the ozarks, outside in a kennel, rain or snow) and they are used to it, and to bring them inside will break down their ability to withstand the temps in the future.

My dogs don't bark, nor do they ones near me. However, they DO bark if their is someone near the house, or walking down the street or alley. They don't care if it's 3 am, they will bark, because that's their job. How do you know those dogs weren't barking because someone, or something such as another small animal, wasn't near? I hardly think them barking is saying they are abused and cold, and need to be brought in. The dogs here howl everytime they hear a siren. They howl even when the siren is far enough away for people to NOT hear. Hound dogs howl regardless, it's what they do.

As for the reply to the other poster, yeah, I have stayed out of this post because it is insulting to those of us who DO take care of our pets even if we don't allow them to live inside (sorry, but fleas and "accidents" on my floor isn't going to happen in this house), however, calling everyone who doesn't do the same as you abusers is over the limit. I live in rural Oklahoma where the temps frequently get below freezing in winter...you can call ASPCA if you want. I can promise you though, that my dogs live better than most FAMILIES in this town so they will laugh themselves back to their trucks.

[iluvmybaby]

When I see posts like this I have mixed feelings, I am proabily going to get flamed for this, please dont take it the wrong way but when I say this because I am a BIG BIG animal lover, but.......Instead of worrying about animals out there in the freezing weather you should be thinking about the countless homesless ppl, man women AND children, out in there right now. There are about 250,000 homeless vietnam vets right NOW living on the streets getting no medical care benefits.

At the same time I think it is sad that those animals were out in the cold, I can understand if they had an insulated area for themselves, I dont know why ppl get animals if they dont want to take care of them, take them to a shelter if you dont really want this is what I think.

[freebielover]

It was just a vent, I highly doubt she was directing it at anyone. Some dogs can handle being outside, some can't. Ive seen dogs in my neighborhood freezing, out all night. Its sad. She wasn't saying that everyone who leaves their dog out at night is a horrible person.

[HisEden]

I may be a "newbie", but I have been a pet companion (I don't own my animals) my entire life. So, as far as "bring you animals in from the cold" how about " please provide warmth and shelter for your pets". Some people can't bring their pets inside, be it because of a lease, or the pets "habits". Saying "then don't have a pet" would be unfair, as I am sure they love their animals just as much as anyone else. As for playing favorites, I myself am guilty of that. I have 2 dogs, a mixed breed and an English Mastiff. The mixed breed has few, if any redeeming qualities (she's sweet). She was seriously injured going through a window after a squirrel, and now suffers moderate brain damage. Before I get "how can you let her suffer", oh she's not suffering, she's happy happy happy. She doesn't mind very well, and has doggy OCD, meaning if she has her ball NOTHING else exists. I paid well over $3,000 to save her life (and no I was not aware that she would have brain damage). My Mastiff on the other hand is 150+ pounds of well behaved. Hard not to favor the one that doesn't destroy your house, and pee all over the floor. I love both of them, but the mixed drives me friggin nuts!
Okay, back to my point. My dogs spend the night in the garage with 10 blankies and a heater. They will until we get our house in Janurary. Do they mind? Heck no! My Mastiff hangs out in the yard when it's 20 degrees! He sits in the middle of the yard just watching everything. He's especially fond of twinkling xmas lights.
So, if you have an outdoor pet make sure it has somewhere that it can get out of the wind and rain. In most states it's the law. The other thing is to make sure that you check the water on cold mornings, and break any ice that has formed.
As for barking, well my parents neighbor had a boxer and that stupid dog would get up on the spa cover and just start barking ALL NIGHT at NOTHING!
My dogs don't bark when they want in, they chew on the doorknob, and when that doesn't work they find a "prize" plant and eat it.
Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Holiday...Don't forget to buy your pet pals a new toy for the Holidays.

[CatrinaF25]

oh have mercy i dont think she was meaning anything by the post.. were all allowed to vent here.. I happen to think if you can not allow your dog in the house EVER you should not have one. now thats just my OPNION . BUt i mean come on . when its storming and raining and such do you expect them to just deal with it??? or when it is a blizzard do you expect them to just weather it out???BIG AND SMALL Dogs can and DO die in the bad weather EVEN WOLFS. Having a dog is like having a child IMO. I Would not expect my children to weather the storms and cold and I dont expect my dogs to either. and dont think about flaming me because quit frankly i will just ignore it :D and i also think if you cant afforid to pay a pet deposit you should not have one either until you are financially able to have that dog. I DO understand some dogs LIKE the cold thats another story. But i mean if you hate your dogs sooo much you would allow your pet to sit in cold when you can TELL It is cold and wants in side. that is wrong IMO. NOW before everyone gets mad and yells. i am talking in GENERAL NOT ABOUT anyone here or about any of the post here. just in general. now that being said. Have a good night all and huggers all around :D