INDIANAPOLIS — FIDO, Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside, is urging pet owners to take additional precautions to protect their pets from the extreme cold weather impacting Indiana.
It is a violation of the city care & treatment ordinance to leave a dog outside when the temperature is below 20 degrees or during a windchill warning. During these conditions, dogs must be brought inside the house or a temperature-controlled building that is maintained between 40 and 80 degrees. Dogs require adequate shelter and drinkable water whenever they are kept outdoors. Dogs also need extra food in cold weather.
Domesticated pets, especially short-haired breeds, do not have the same protection against the brutal cold and wind as wild animals, and require proper shelter whenever they are outside.
During the winter, a dog house is crucial to keep a dog dry and help maintain body heat. The house should only be large enough for him to stand up and turn around, and be filled with dry straw, for bedding and insulation, of sufficient depth for the dog to burrow. The opening should face south and be covered with heavy plastic or other weather proofing material to keep the wind outside and the body heat inside.
To report an animal in immediate danger, use Request Indy online or call the Mayor’s Action Line at 317-327-4622. People needing assistance with their own dogs should call the FIDO helpline at 317-221-1314 or e-mail info@fidoindy.org. FIDO is providing training crates to enable citizens to bring their dogs inside during the upcoming extreme weather.
Individuals who maintain feral cat colonies are also urged to add cat shelter boxes to help insulate them from the cold. Boxes can be as simple as a tote box with a small opening cut in the side and a tight-fitting lid stuffed with dry, clean, straw. Visit indyferal.org for information on how to create and maintain a feral cat shelter.