Tips for pet safety during cold weather

When it comes to protecting pets and animals from the cold, one local shelter is providing relief to the local homeless community and their pets.

Monday and Tuesday, the Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport is opening its shelter facilities to homeless and transient individuals who have pets, but need to find shelter themselves.

We also spoke to shelter officials over the weekend to see how everyone can protect their furry friends during this cold snap. HSSM Director of Operations Bianca Janik said, “Star here is a typical type of dog we see in this community. She’s a three-year-old Pitbull Terrier mix, and she’s absolutely wonderful. And while she loves being outside to run and play, her coat is not compatible with the kind of weather that we will be experiencing. And so, we encourage that pet owners bring their animals inside. When they go outside to go potty, make sure they’re nice and warm with some sweaters. Try to protect their paw pads. Dogs like Star don’t have a thick undercoat, and so it’s incredibly important to prevent hypothermia and keep them inside. Prolonged periods of time outside in cold weather can actually freeze their paw pads. They can get frostbite on their paw pads, the tips of their ears, and on their tails is often where we see that happen the most. If that were to occur, we want to make sure you understand you don’t want to rub those areas because it can actually cause more damage to them. You just want to get them inside and warmed up, slowly. If it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them. The only exceptions to that rule may be an arctic-type dog such as a Huskie or Malamut. Other than that, we want to make sure people keep pets safe.”