Pets & cold: Animal Services director talks best practices, offers resources

JACKSON, Tenn. — As the cold temperatures continue, we want to give you some tips regarding how to keep your pets safe.

With the snow and ice still on the ground and the temperatures below freezing, we wanted to learn the best ways to take care of our pets.

Whitney Owen, the Director for Animal Services with the City of Jackson, tells us more.

“A lot of people assume that, because its a dog or a cat, it’s an animal and it’s made to live outside,” said Owen. “That may have been correct way back in their genealogical line. But at this point they’ve been domesticated and most of them have acclimated to the typical life that we provide for them.”

However, we always like to enjoy having fun with our pets outside. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. But there are some signs to look out for to know when it is time to come inside.

“Shivering is the first one because they’re mammals. They’re warm blooded just like we are, so their body shivers trying to generate body heat when they’re too cold. So shivering is the first one. Redness and inflamation in the paw pads in another one,” said Owen.

A lot of times when weather like this is expected, the Jackson Animal Care Center will provide bales of hay for people to help keep pets warm.

“We did it Friday before the storm hit. We gave out a little over 40 bales of straw. We also offered to loan people crates to bring their dogs in the house if they had that option, and we gave out almost 20 crates,” Owen said.

If you can safely get to the shelter, they will still provide you with some hay.

As the cold weather is going to continue, it is important to remember these tips to be as safe as possible.

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