It’s so cold outside…..Since the beginning of January, the Midwest has been hit with quite a few snow storms. And not just snow storms, freezing temperatures and cold winds, way below normal. It is difficult for humans to deal with the cold let alone animals and pets. Sometimes I wonder how the animals that are not house bound live in this cold weather. Do they survive, or just simply do the best they can and if the freeze to death, then that’s life, animal life that is.
I noticed how difficult it is for animals to live in this cold climate when my little white shih tzu just stepped out on the deck, in the piles and piles of snow to do his business. It didn’t take long for him to lift his one paw and hold it up, and then the other, alternatively, because it was so cold on his bare feet. He came in the house as quickly as possible (actually, I don’t think he completely do his business, just enough to be comfortable), limping. I felt so sorry for him. I didn’t know how to warm up his tiny little paws. Basically, it’s like us walking on the snow without any protection. I picked him up and tried to dry his paws and warm them up. Then I remembered that I had picked up some paw socks last year, that he didn’t really need them, since last winter was a lot milder. I put them on him, and to my surprise he kept them on. He didn’t try to pull them off his paws like he’s done before. Obviously, he needed them.
For the rest of the day, he just laid low, lying on the couch and sleeping. I realized how harsh it must have been for him to go outside. He must have really felt the bitter cold.
For those who have a pet and live in as cold a climate as the Midwest, it is very important to keep them warm. It is always safer to dress them with a warm sweater or jacket and put booties on them, if you are planning in taking them for a walk. It doesn’t matter that they have a fur. The fur that they have is actually their skin, and it won’t keep them as warm. It will be like us going out with just a wool sweater on. I prefer not to take my dog for walks in the winter. It is very cold for me to be out there, and I figure it is as cold for my dog. So I keep him in the house, warm, and when I go out, I try to stay warm, so that I can come back to my little sweet shih tzu as quickly as I can.
