At least 14 dogs have frozen to death in Ohio!!!!

I found this posted on another board. I think this is sooooo sad!!!! Where I live they issue warnings telling people not to leave cats and dogs outside in dangerously cold weather!

"I heard on the news yesterday, 14 separate incidences of dogs found frozen to death in Ohio - apparently, the owners left them out all night! Some were found frozen to death in their plastic dog houses, which the report said retains the cold. (they recommended wood doghouses instead). With the record low temps we are getting in the mid-west and elsewhere, PLEEEEZE do not leave your cats or dogs outside in this weather; bring them into your basement or a heated garage if you have to."

That's really upsetting, Lorie. This has been a terrible winter in the tri-state area (Ohio, PA, and W.VA). I'm keeping my collie in all day and night, except for "bathroom breaks." It's just too cold for animals out there. Frostbite can occur in twenty minutes with single digit temperatures and even a slight wind. This is unusual for the area, but all the news programs have warned people to keep their animals in the house.

I saw on the news that Columbus is in a huge crisis right now. They only have 3 Humane officers. The Humane Society was getting so many calls from people complaining that their neighbors are leaving thier dogs outside that they asked the community to call the police dept. and let them handle giving people citations. It's cruel to leave an animal out in these kind of tempatures. They are fining and charging people with animal cruelty if they find an animal left outside. Unfortunately there are a lot of stupid uncaring people and not enough officers to go around.

This has been a terrible winter this year, hasn't it, Nenners? We get Columbus' weather some hours after you, depending on the winds, etc. I worry about my collie when he won't come in immediately after his "bathroom break." We're at 31 degrees (amazingly!) today, so hopefully we will soon have a break from these extreme temperatures. I hope this is the end of these tragedies. Wooden dog houses or bringing the dogs in the house or heated garage are being recommended on TV. Plastic dog houses are inadequate according to WPXI in Pittsburgh.