Animal advoates are encouraging pet owners to bring their animals indoors this weekeend due to the extreme cold and snow. (WJBC Archive Photo)

By WJBC Staff

BLOOMINGTON - From this week's below-freezing windchill to this weekend's predicted snowfall, animal advocates are urging pet owners to consider the dangerous effects extreme winter weather presents.

Every year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) receives thousands of complaints about people who leave dogs outside in the cold.

Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs and other animals can still suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze.

PETA recommendations include:

• Keep animals indoors. This is absolutely critical when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair.

• Don't allow your cat or dog to roam outdoors. During winter, cats sometimes climb under the hoods of cars to be near warm engines and are badly injured or killed when the car is started.

• Wipe off your dogs' or cats' legs, feet, and stomachs after they come in from the snow. Salt and other
chemicals can make your animals sick if they ingest them.

• If you are concerned about animals you see left outside, please notify authorities.

• During extreme winter weather, birds and other animals may have trouble finding food and water. Offer rations to wildlife who are caught in storms or white-outs by spreading birdseed on the ground.