Pet Owners Urged to Bring Animals Indoors During Chilly Temperatures

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The plummeting temperatures in middle Georgia means pet owners are being urged to bring their pets indoors.

The freezing temperatures are fast approaching and employees at the Macon-Bibb Animal Welfare Center are making sure their tenants are as warm as possible.

“We’re trying to give them extra blankets. We’re trying to move them to a warmer area of the shelter, especially with the smaller puppies. We’re a little more concerned with them,” Christy Riley, a kennel attendant at the center, said.

She was moving pets as fast as she could.

Riley wants to make sure the smallest residents are protected first.

“They’re less able to regulate their own body temperature. So we give them extra blankets. It helps, helps a lot,” Riley said.

Sarah Tenon, the director of Macon-Bibb Animal Welfare, says it’s important for pet owners to bring their furry loved ones inside as the chilly weather begins to set in.

“They go through the same things that we would. They can freeze. The water would freeze. And it’s just cold. Their blood would slow down,” Tenon said.

“Even here at the shelter we have to take extra measures to keep them warm because this is an older building,” she said.

Doing the little things like keeping pets indoors will help protect your pets and also give you a peace of mind.

“Be mindful. Be mindful to make sure that you take the extra measure to provide for your animal during this cold season,” Tenon said.

All of the employees at the animal welfare center say they have blankets, but any donation would be greatly appreciated.

If you’d like to give away blankets, you can bring them to the animal shelter.