Every winter, without fail, we hear dozens of stories about irresponsible pet owners leaving their dogs out in the bitter cold. The city of Indianapolis is hoping to crack down on these incidents of animal cruelty, however, with a new ordinance that requires pet owners to bring their animals indoors when temperatures reach a certain degree.
Indianapolis Animal Care and Control Officer Alex Shaefer, who has been taking a lot of calls since the temperatures have dropped, gives pet owners the benefit of the doubt saying that while many do have the best interests of their animals in mind, “they may just not know how much the cold weather can affect them.”
The city is hoping this new ordinance will help cut down on the number of incidents officers have to respond to. Pet owners will now be required to bring their animals indoors in the following conditions:
- When the outside temperature is 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below
- When the outside temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above
- When there’s a windchill warning
- When there’s a heat advisory
- When a tornado warning has been issued
While 20 degrees may still seem excessively cold to leave your pet out, the ordinance also states that when the temperature outside is below 40 degrees, pet owners must provide shelter for their dog with proper bedding.
“Something that’s not going to hold the moisture, blankets are going to get wet and they’re going to stay wet and they’re going to freeze,” said Kim Wolsiffer, Deputy Chief of Enforcement for the Indianapolis Animal Care & Control. “So you don’t want the animal laying in that. You want to make sure it’s a more wicking material.”
Penalties for breaking the ordinance are fines ranging from $25 to $200 with a mandatory court appearance. The welfare of pets obviously still has a long way to go, but with cities starting to crack down on instances like this, along with the FBI now treating animal cruelty like a Class A felony, we’re certainly making steps in the right direction.
(Fox 59 via iHeartDogs)
