Sheltering Your Pet

The law requires outdoor dogs be provided "adequate" shelter in order to maintain the animal(s) in a state of good health.  When the temperature falls below freezing, dry bedding is required in the shelter.

Suggestions

  • Use hard plastic or painted wood (metal rusts and conducts heat and cold). Make sure it does not leak and it faces south in winter, and north in summer.
  • Raise the house off the ground several inches.
  • Put a flap over the door (an old rug or rubber mat with strips cut vertically).
  • The roof should extend 8 inches over the door to help keep the rain out.
  • Use straw, newspaper, or cedar shavings for bedding; nail a strip of wood at the bottom of the doghouse door to keep them from spilling out. Don't use rags or rugs, they absorb water and can freeze.
  • Put water in a sturdy, tip-resistant bowl or bucket inside a rubber tire to prevent tipping, and check for freezing several times a day during winter.

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