As the first snow of the season fell in Hot Springs on Friday, residents took steps to protect themselves and their belongings from the elements.
But Hot Springs Animal Services Director Dan Bugg says humans aren't the only ones who need protection; animals need intervention to keep them safe and warm during winter.
The law requires animals of every kind to have proper shelter, proper food and water and proper veterinary care, Bugg said.
"Those are the four things under the law that we can enforce. If we get a complaint on a dog being outside, we go and check and make sure it has a house. A lot of people will go and get one of those airline carriers to put in the yard; it's full of holes for air to get through -- that doesn't qualify as a house. Or, they'll lean a board up against the house, and that doesn't qualify, either."
Proper shelter for animals is an enclosed "house" with a door that the animal can walk through -- a house that is insulated with straw is preferable -- and that keeps the animal completely dry and out of the elements. A 40-watt light bulb can also be placed inside the shelter, as the bulbs generate quite a lot of heat in an enclosed area. Bugg said this can present a fire hazard, though, so one should be careful not to place any flammable items around the bulb or inside the shelter.
"A lot of guys will take those 55-gallon plastic drums and cut the ends out of them, put a dog door on one end of them and situate them to where they won't roll. They'll fill them with straw and those are pretty thick. You can't get wet in them," Bugg said. "It doesn't take much money or much effort to ensure your dog is warm or cool and properly out of the elements year-round. I wish I had a bunch of extra money because I would probably drive around town, see dog houses that don't have any straw in them and give people free straw to straw their dog houses."
For additional warmth, old blankets or carpets can be used as bedding material. The safest place for an animal to be during wintertime is inside a house, but for the homes where this is not an option, Bugg said garages are a great source of shelter, too.
Another issue animal owners should keep in mind for their outdoor animals is the water supply. The temperature of water left outdoors will reach the same temperature of the air outside, so if it's freezing outside, the water is freezing, too. Bugg suggests checking and changing the water at least once per day. If the water has been frozen solid, break up the ice so the animal has access to the water supply, or simply refill a fresh water bowl.
"Some people will just put a dog outside on a chain and throw food and water at it and it drives me crazy. In the summer, when they go to work in the morning the dog is in the shade, but when they come home at night, the sun has moved clear across the sky and now the dog is baking in the sun. I can't make people go out and pet their dog every day or love their dog. I can only make them do the four basic things: food, water, shelter, proper veterinarian care," Bugg said.
Welfare checks are performed by Hot Springs Animal Services year-round, Bugg said, and if someone sees an animal outside that is freezing or looks to be in need of help, they should call the Animal Services office at 501-262-2091 and a welfare check will be performed to ensure the animal is properly situated and taken care of.
Local on 01/07/2017