Keep Dogs Warm Or Face $1K Fine County Warns

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Winter has Anne Arundel County in its grip again, and an animal alert is in place until noon on Thursday, Jan. 18, officials said. Owners are encouraged to bring their pets indoors as the National Weather Service predicts wind chill temperatures to range from 8 to 24 degrees.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory that includes the city of Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and several counties in the region. Earlier Tuesday only Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick and Harford counties were included in the advisory. Late this morning the service widened the advisory to also include Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Charles, Montgomery, Howard counties, plus much of Northern Virginia.

The winter weather advisory calls for 1 to 3 inches of snow from Tuesday to Wednesday. The advisory is effective from 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17. If the temperature or wind chills are expected to be at or below 20 degrees all dogs should be brought indoors to an area that will not reach below 33 degrees, officials said Tuesday.

Any dog left unattended outside must have:

• Fresh, clean and drinkable non-frozen water at all times.
• A dog house that protects the animal against wind, snow and cold.
• Dry bedding or resting board inside the dog house.

County Animal Control also recommends:

• Dog flaps/doors must be affixed to dog houses (and dogs must be trained/able to use the house with the flap)
• Dog house entrances must be oriented away from prevailing winds
• Dog houses must be elevated off the ground (at least 2 inches and above any accumulated precipitation)
• Dog houses must have abundant dry bedding available inside
• Dog houses must protect an animal against the weather. A dog house, shed, garage or other large area that has temperatures that reach below 33 degrees Fahrenheit inside is too large to allow a dog to maintain adequate body temperature to sustain life will be considered insufficient.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in a civil citation with fines ranging from $125 to $1,000, removal of the animal, and/or criminal prosecution depending on the conditions found, such as abuse or neglect of an animal by leaving dogs outside and unattended by use of restraints.

If you see an animal left outside that appears to be in danger, call Animal Control immediately at (410) 222-8900.

Snow should fall mainly after midnight and wrap up about noon on Wednesday. Expect lows in the 20s for the next several nights, but by Saturday the daytime highs will be in the low 50s and overnight lows will be above freezing, according to the weather service.

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