Recently a 50-year-old woman named Michelle Bennett was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after she allegedly left her step-brother’s dog outside in freezing cold weather earlier this January. The authorities found the dog, known as B.J. frozen solid inside of a plastic dog house, chained, with no food or water nearby.
Although this case happened in Connecticut, where winter temperatures are somewhat colder than New Jersey, according to local veterinarian Dr. Laura Collins, people leaving dogs out in the cold is an issue here, too.
Dr. Collins, who has testified in court about animal cruelty says, “Some cruelty is intentional, but a lot of cruelty is ignorance, and most of what cruelty investigators do is try to correct ignorance. My job as a veterinarian is to correct ignorance, too.”
Veterinarians use something called the TACC (Tufts Animal Care Condition) scales –originally published by Tufts University adjunct professor Dr. Gary J. Patronek in 1997–to assess dogs’ environmental safety in regards to weather. The scales show that certain factors can worsen or improve a dog’s chances of withstanding the cold.
Toy breed dogs like the Maltese and the Chihuahuas are in much more danger than large breed, long coated dogs like Malamutes and Samoyeds according to the TACC scales, but other factors have an impact too. For example, if a dog is a puppy under six months old or an older dog they are more vulnerable. If it is raining, that can make a cold dog’s situation worse. On the other hand, if the dog has access to some shelter or bedding, that may improve their chances of survival somewhat during prolonged exposure to cold.
When asked about how long he thinks dogs can be left out in the cold Jordan Miller, a dog trainer at Petsmart, says, “I don’t think there’s a set ‘maximum’ for how long a dog should be outside. Every dog is different…Rather than, a numerical time limit, I think a dog should be outside as long as they can tolerate it.”
Miller’s view holds up to what the TACC scales indicate, which is that dogs who have been conditioned and given time to acclimate to the cold will do better than those which have not.
Like Dr. Collins, Miller says, “[Some people] are ignorant. They’re careless and don’t realize that just because dogs have fur doesn’t mean they can’ tolerate cold temperatures more than us.”
Diane Cardona, a first year student at Mercer, commented on the situation saying “I think the top reason [people leave dogs in the cold] would be because they don’t want to go out in the cold with them or those people think dogs don’t belong in the house”.
Another first year student at Mercer, Shania Mercado, thinks more on the positive side of owners leaving dogs outside with saying, “I think people leave their dogs outside in the cold because they think they need time to run around or maybe sometimes they just want to give their dog time to potty outside”.
Most dog deaths from the cold are never reported, owners may bury or dispose of the dog and no one will know. But the issue of freezing dogs is real.
When asked what you should do if you observe a dog left in the cold, Police Officer Matt Russo of Franklin Township says, “If there is a dog left outside and it’s below freezing or you’re concerned for the safety of the dog then you can dial the non-emergency number for your local P.D.”
