Practice Safety First With Household Pets During Cold Snap

County’s animal control administrator urges caution as temperatures plummet

Cook County Animal and Rabies Control has issued an alert to pet owners to take extra precautions with their household pets due to the early-winter Arctic cold snap we are now experiencing.
With temperatures dipping not just below the freezing mark but expected to bottom out below zero by the weekend, Dr. Donna Alexander, Animal and Rabies Control Administrator, cautioned that dog owners in particular need to take additional care to ensure the safety of their pets.

“Whereas some dogs are bred to withstand extreme cold conditions, if they have been raised in the County's temperate environment they may not be able to adjust,” Dr. Alexander said, noting that keeping dogs outside in this kind of weather can prove fatal to them.

While laws in some municipalities may require only that pet owners provide food, water and a shelter, an outside dog house may not be enough this weekend., Dr. Alexander said.

She urged not only pet owners, but all residents to be alert to pets being left outside for extended periods and, if they see or hear something that seems amiss in this kind of weather, to contact local authorities, including the Department of Animal Control (708-974-6140)