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Pet owners reminded not to leave animals out too long in the cold

Jan 17, 2019 | 7:13 AM

It should come as no surprise that the cold winter weather can be too much for some pets when it comes to leaving them outdoors for long periods of time.

Ross Gear with Grande Prairie Enforcement Services says it’s not a major problem in the city, but occasionally they must go out and speak to pet owners and ask them to bring their animals inside.

“Each one is on a case by case basis, because some dogs or animals are much better adapted to colder weather than others.  If it’s a short-haired animal that doesn’t have much protection, they’re going to suffer a lot more than say a Husky.”

Last week when it was extremely cold, Enforcement Services did get some calls about pets left out in the cold.

“There were a couple of calls that were quite legitimate.  I wouldn’t say the animals were in distress, but they were certainly quite uncomfortable.”

They also get a lot of complaints about animals left in cold vehicles.

“A vehicle does offer some shelter if a person is just going around doing their shopping or whatever, they may have their animal in the vehicle and the vehicle can be shut off for a period of time and (the pet) may not be in distress.”

It is an offence under the responsible pet owner by law, however, violations are usually their last resort.  He says they only really get involved if they feel the animal is in distress. 

 “I don’t think pet owners purposely put their animals in danger, or in uncomfortable situations, sometimes it’s just the fact that they’re just not aware, and once we make them aware it usually solves itself.”