LANSING, Mich. — It takes a special breed of dog to survive in this kind of cold, for example, those that dog sled. However, pets should be left inside as much as possible.
Veterinarians stand by the one golden rule, if you're cold they are cold. Experts said in frigid weather there's no excuse for leaving your pet outside.
"You have to think about it, we're all bundled up too and we're still cold. They have a little bit of a hair coat," Dr. Hailee Cotter, a certified veterinarian acupuncturist and small and exotic animal general medicine and surgery.
Dr. Hailee Cotter said your pets outside time should be very limited in cold weather, and only when it's necessary.
"They should be going outside, going to the bathroom and coming straight in," said Dr. Cotter.
After you bring your dog in, the chances of frostbite and hypothermia don't stop there. You'll want to look of for signs of shivering, sleepiness and their paws for snow, you might have to take them to the vet.
"They'll curl into a little ball to preserve heat and those are symptoms to get them in right away. You don't really notice the effects right away, tends to get worse after 24-48 hours as the skin starts to dye off and fall and the wounds look pretty significant," said Cotter.
517 Animal Rescue is taking to the streets of Jackson to stop this from happening to dogs.
The organization has volunteers that drive around and find dogs left out in the cold. They then do outreach work to educate owners on the effects of leaving your pets outside in the cold. They average about 10 dogs this week, and some of them receive a brand new donated igloo house.
"Immediately it's heartbreaking. We feel obligated, someone has to and if we don't do it who else is going to," said Karley Bennett, with 517 Animal Rescue.
The organization has been able to get some owners to let their dogs inside, but they hear all sorts of excuses as to why owners can't bring their dogs in.
"Potty training, they don't have house manners, they are outside dogs not inside dogs. Things that can all be worked around, caging, puppy pads. Anything can be taught, fixed or trained," said Bennett.
With animal cruelty as a proposed federal felony, animal lovers tell News 10 this time more than ever, that bill is needed.
"For too long people have been able to get away with it and I think they should be punished accordingly for mistreating animals the same way we hold them accountable for people," said Cotter.
