With colder temperatures here to stay for a while, here are a few reminders to keep pets warm.

Ann Wenthold with People for Animal Welfare Society (P.A.W.S.) of Greene County offers safety tips for outdoor pet owners when temperatures drop below freezing. “It’s best when it gets really, really cold to bring them inside to a heated or semi-heated (area), whether it’s a garage, shed, or even a basement-if you don’t want them in your main house-that would be kind of the main thing, is just to have a warm area for them to be.”

Wenthold adds to keep a heated water bowl for the outdoor pets and keep fresh water in it at all times.

As for indoor pet owners that take their furry friends outside, Wenthold recommends covering them up to help keep them warm. She warns pet owners to keep dogs and cats away from ice melt products that aren’t pet safe. “If you can image walking barefoot in the snow is what the animals are like. It can cause irritation and clump up. If they have paws that have a lot of hair, it can get caught in there and can cause severe pain for the animals.”

Anyone with questions, or who would like more information about keeping pets safe during the winter months, can contact P.A.W.S. at 386-9814.