Can you imagine this scenario? Its 20-gegrees outside and you are sleeping, or at least trying to sleep in a room that is only just big enough for you to fit in. you curl up to try and get warm, but to no avail. The temperature is slowly dropping and your feet and hands are starting to get numb. You cannot help but shiver uncontrollably and your nose is dripping like a tap. Sleep is just not coming because you are so cold and uncomfortable, and the night has only just began. Sounds terrible doesn’t it? You just can’t imagine how anybody could bear this treatment, yet we do this to our pets all of the time.
Some pet owners are under the illusion that because an animal has fur, it is equipped to deal with such harsh weather conditions, this is total untrue. Some breeds of dogs are capable of handling extreme weather, but unfortunately most are not. As pet owners we have the responsibility to look after and protect our animals. Some dog owners keep their pets outside at night, that is fine during the warmer months, but when winter comes it is completely irresponsible to expect them to stay outside in freezing cold conditions.
Experts will tell you that our dogs are just not designed to live in these conditions. One vet who deals in this field even went so far as to replicate the freezing condition inside a dog house and expose himself to what some poor animals have to go through. He rugged himself up as best as he could, all of the right clothing to cope with the cold, and plenty of blankets. Then he started his camera and shot what he was going through. At first it was 20-degrees, and he was doing ok, then 30-munites later it had dropped to 18-degrees and he was starting to struggle. Imagine what a poor dog must go through. Dogs will roll up in a ball in an attempt to generate some heat, but no matter how they try, they cannot generate enough heat to stay safe and healthy.
This brave vet, Dr. Ward, did his best to try and stay warm, but after an hour he started to lose feeling in his feet and hands, and was in his own words “Just COLD”. As much as he tried to stick it out in his little dog-house, he could not last more than 4-hours in the freezing conditions. Dr. Ward had prepared himself as best he could, but what about the poor dogs that are left outside all night. It doesn’t matter if your dog has the furriest of coats, or if you leave it with a pile of blankets, the simple truth is, if it’s too cold outside for you, then it’s too cold for your dog as well.