MARTINSVILLE, Va. – As you bundle up when you head outside, don't forget about your furry friends.
As Martinsville Animal Control Officer EC Stone talked to pet owners Thursday about the changes to the city's tethering ordinance, he made sure they were also aware of the city's ordinance for pets in cold weather.
"If the temperature gets below 32 degrees, they have to be inside, or at least inside a temperature-controlled environment," Stone said.
Christopher Haynes has several dogs and said he never leaves them out in the cold.
"They all come inside. You see how big my house is. It's huge. I have seven dogs all together," Haynes siad.
As a pet owner, he is glad to see the city's animal control officer taking time to check up on people's pets.
He said he hates seeing pets that are not taken care of.
"I think it's cruel because they're living creatures, too," Haynes said. "They're just like us. They have to have warmth and food and shelter and love. You have to give it to them. If you're going to be a dog owner or an animal owner, you've got to do the right thing."
Stone hasn't had any calls this season about pets being left in the cold, but he had some last winter for some dogs.
"One almost froze to death last Christmas. It was barely alive when I got there," Stone recalled.
When the weather gets cold, he tries to make extra patrols to check on pets.
He said most people he has to talk to make the necessary changes to take care of their pets, but not everyone.
"Some people, they just don't care. They will trust that you will not be back and check on it," Stone said. "But if we come back and it's 20 degrees, you're going to be charged."
Stone said that if your pet being left out in the cold meets the criteria for animal cruelty, you can be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor.
If your pet dies as a result of being left in the cold, you can be charged with a class 6 felony.