Take Care of Your Pets During Cold Weather

The Wakefield Police Department would like to remind pet owners that the extreme winter weather conditions we have been experiencing are dangerous to your furry friends.  The following information was recently provided by PETA:

PETA's office is being flooded with reports of animals being left outdoors to suffer in the cold. During these bitterly cold temperatures and extreme windchill factors, PETA reminds all pet owners that dogs kept outdoors will quickly freeze to death. Plastic doghouses, barrels, and other forms of inadequate shelter will not protect a dog from frostbite and hypothermia. Such temperatures also cause dogs' water sources to freeze over, leading to dehydration, which quickly becomes fatal.

 There have already been numerous reports of dogs dying across the U.S. due to weather exposure.

• In Butler County, Ohio, while responding to a complaint, the local dog warden found a German shepherd dead inside his doghouse. Although there were four bales of straw on the owners' front porch, they had not put any straw bedding in the doghouse.
• In Hartford, Connecticut, officers responding to a complaint from a concerned neighbor found a chained pit bull mix who had died of hypothermia. He was also found inside his doghouse.
• In Lynchburg, Virginia, an animal control officer performing a welfare check found a chained dog who had frozen to death inside his doghouse.

Allowing an animal to suffer in this manner is in violation of state law.  If you are aware of an animal that is not being properly cared for, please contact the Wakefield Police Department.