Authorities Take Heat for Dog Left in Cold

A firestorm is brewing on social media about Chewy, a dog left tied to a tree during a blizzard that buried parts of western Michigan under up to 10 inches of snow Monday.

A post on the Dogs Deserve Better Facebook page generated thousands of comments, shares and likes. People disliked the treatment allegedly given to the Corgi-Labrador mix at a home in Gobles, a small town of about 800 in Van Buren County.

The Kalamazoo Gazette, which ran a story about the reaction to the post, said it had received calls and emails from Ohio, New York and even South Africa.

According to the post, Chewy regularly goes without water and food, even though the “SPCA and animal control have provided the family with food.”

“He is rarely fed,” the woman who wrote the post claimed. “Bread is kicked at him by the teenage sons that are suppose to love him.”

Law enforcement and animal-control authorities have allegedly stopped by the home several times, but have done little about the situation. The woman claimed that when she called to insist on action Monday evening because she feared the dog would freeze, an officer said, “A lot of dogs are going to die tonight.”

Katie Timber, the director of the SPCA of Southwest Michigan, told the Kalamazoo newspaper the nonprofit group lacks the authority to seize the dog, and she has to “walk the fine line” in offering to help a family that doesn’t want assistance.

“I cannot just take the dog,” Timber said. “That would be stealing.”

Since the original post Monday, the dog has apparently been moved inside, and Van Buren County law enforcement officers are reportedly upset with the volume of calls they’ve been receiving.

With the early arrival of brutal temperatures and snowfall, officials with the Michigan Humane Society were bracing themselves for cold-weather related calls to the Cruelty Investigation Department.

“Every winter, our Cruelty Investigators respond to hundreds of complaints about pets that are left outdoors without adequate shelter,” Mark Ramos, MHS Senior Cruelty Investigator, said in a statement. “We urge everyone to bring pets indoors, at minimum during the frigid winter months, to protect their pets and prevent needless suffering.”

Failure to properly provide for pets can result in misdemeanor animal cruelty violations carrying a sentence of up to 93 days in jail, up to a $1,000 fine, community service, and loss of pet ownership for a specified amount of time.

To properly care for pets during cold weather, the Humane Society advises:

• When temperatures plummet, pets should not be left outside for any length of time. Bring small or short-haired pets in when temperatures reach 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. Larger breeds and thick-coated dogs may remain outside, with adequate shelter, to a temperature of zero.
• Precipitation and wind chill should also be taken into account.
• Cats should be kept indoors or at least brought into a warm, animal proofed garage during severe weather.
• Roaming cats often seek the warmth of car engines, so be sure to knock on the car hood or honk the horn before starting your car to startle them and give them a chance to escape.
• Increase the amount of food by 10-20 percent for dogs left outside during the winter months. The extra calories are needed to help an animal to stay warm.
• Regular access to clean, unfrozen water is also critical. Check drinking water frequently – every few hours – to ensure that it is unfrozen.
• If an animal is cold to the touch, or his paws and ears are pale, he may be suffering from frostbite. Move the animal to a warmer area and contact your veterinarian immediately.

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Photo via Dogs Deserve Better Facebook page