2 dogs saved from cold weather in Middletown
Dog warden gives tips to keep dogs warm
Two dogs are safe and warm at the Animal Friends Humane Society after being left out in the record-low temperatures.
Middletown police rescued a pit bull from the minus 12 degree temperatures early Friday morning.
Officers found it in the 2400 block of Saybrook Drive.
A 3-week-old puppy is also much warmer than she was two nights ago when a woman claimed to have found the pooch in a shoe box on a Middletown street.
"There's a lot of pups out here. I mean, a lot of dogs just roaming the alleys," resident Joshua Ferrell said. "There's people getting too many dogs that they don't need. They're not ready to take care of them."
That's growing frustration for responsible pet owners like Ferrell, especially as temperatures drop to record lows.
"It's too cold for any animals outside, it really is," Bonnie Walker said.
Dog wardens said caring for pets in this weather comes down to common sense. If it's uncomfortable for you, it's uncomfortable for them.
"We did a cow a couple of weeks ago that had frostbite and lost a leg. So if a cow can get it, I’d certainly think a dog can get it," Butler County Deputy Dog Warden Kurt Merbs said.
Aside from animals being left in the cold for too long, Merbs said he's also finding dog houses without the proper bedding.
"Blankets are being put in there, which absorb moisture and freeze, which is no different than the dog lying in snow. The best thing for a dog house is straw or wood chips at the very least, something that insulates the dog house," he said.
For a look at some of the pets that have been picked up and are currently being cared for at the Animal Friends Humane Society, click here.