LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As the temperatures remain bitterly cold, Fayette County Animal Care and Control wants to be sure all the pets out there are well taken care of. They've had a spike in calls the last few days, and it turns out most of them are for something you might not think about if you're just letting your dogs out for a few minutes.
As the temperatures dove into the single digits this week, animal control officers said they were busy.
"Maybe 20, 15, 20-plus extra calls a day in addition to our sick or injured animals. A lot of shelter calls - dogs outside with no shelter," said Sgt. Aaron Evans.
Turns out, Evans said each call was a dog that had just been let out to use the bathroom and had already come back in when animal control arrived, but it highlights a Lexington ordinance that requires a shelter anytime a dog is outside alone.
"Four walls and a floor, some sort of organic bedding to where they can protect themselves from the elements," she said. "Whether you have a Husky or Chihuahua, if it is outside unattended, it is required to have proper shelter with organic bedding in it and a constant supply of fresh water, drinkable water, so not frozen," Evans said.
Animal Care and Control said the rule only applies when the dogs are outside unattended. If you're out there playing with your dog, then they don't require shelter as long as you bring them back inside with you.
Evans said if there's any chance a dog is out in temperatures like these without shelter, they want to know about it.
"We want to see pet owners do the right thing, and sometimes they're not in situations where they can, so we try to work with them as best as possible, but when it comes down to it, we have a job to do for these animals and that's what we'll do," Evan said.
