As we prepare for the coming winter storm, remember to include your pets in your safety action plan. These tips can be boiled down to: if it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your pet. Stay prepared with a few tips that’ll keep your pet safe:
- Most important: bring your pets inside the home. The home is the safest place for your entire family during a winter storm, and this includes your pets.
- If your pet must stay outside, be sure you keep them as safe as possible with these tips:
- Provide an enclosed, draft-free shelter. Make sure to cover the entrance with a tarp or some similar covering.
- Elevate the shelter a few inches off the ground.
- Cover the shelter’s floor with lots of clean bedding (straw or cedar shavings underneath a blanket works great)
- Provide plenty of food.
- Fill and check your pet’s water bowl often. In cold temperatures, the water will freeze quickly, and needs to be replaced regularly. Frozen water will do a thirsty dog no good.
Keep updated on the winter storm at the National Weather Service’s website: https://www.weather.gov/iln/.
Track power outages at AES Ohio: https://www.aepohio.com/outages/