Yfat Yossifor | KERA
A person walks their dog in the snow during a winter storm Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Fort Worth.
While most Houstonians are preparing their homes for the incoming freeze, local animal shelters are preparing their animals and advising others to do the same.
Houston SPCA is preparing with plenty of extra food, water and backup materials like blankets and generators.
Julie Kuenstle, vice president of communications at Houston SPCA, emphasized the importance of monitoring animals and weather closely.
“A pet’s age, their health, a lot of things can depend on whether or not they can sustain (the weather) that. If you don’t want to bring them into your home, maybe you’re concerned about shedding? There’s the laundry room, there’s the garage,” she said, “There are places that you can bring them out of the freezing temperatures.”
Both a winter storm warning and extreme cold warning are set to go into effect for the greater Houston area on Saturday evening. Temperatures will start to fall on Saturday evening, bringing a forecasted low of 31 degrees in Houston on Saturday night. Sunday and Monday night are both expected to have lows of 20 degrees, according to the weather service. Areas north of I-10 have the potential for even lower temperatures.
In Texas, pet owners do have to take responsibility under the “Safe Outdoor Dogs Act” during extreme weather.
The law states residents must bring their animals inside or provide adequate shelter during inclement weather, like extremely low temperatures. It also requires access to drinkable water and safe restraints.
“If you’ve got a dog house or a structure, make sure that structure is off the ground … and it needs to protect them from the wind and the rain,” said Kuenstle.
The main risks that often occur during the severe cold are animals being left outside, limited food or water and animals forced to take shelter in risky areas like cars.
To prevent animals from choosing these dangerous alternatives, Kuenstle advised providing temporary shelter for homeless animals using cardboard boxes, plastic totes and heat sources.
“Using plastic totes, you can cut a hole through a small hole through the side of them, and put some newspaper, blankets, old towels, even some hay and a little bit of food. That can go a long way by setting some of those out,” Kuenstle said.