Louisiana SPCA Warning Pet Owners ‘You’ll Face Felony Animal Cruelty Charges If You Leave Pets Out In This Cold’
It's cold in Acadiana. We're experiencing the coldest temps we've seen in years. How a pet owner could sleep at night while their pet is outside in 20 degree temperatures is beyond me. The Louisiana SPCA is warning pet owners who do this they "could face felony animal cruelty charges" if and when they get caught.
Fox8live.com reports the Louisiana SPCA says their phones are ringing off the hook with people reporting pets left out in the dangerously cold weather. Officers have been seizing pets from owners and slapping them with animal cruelty charges.
"'That is kind of the point where our officers start treating all of these calls as emergency calls, pets cannot be left outside when weather gets to this temperature so, it's not just overnight, it's not just in the evenings when you're home from work, it's all day, as long as the weather advisory is in effect, all pets have got to be brought inside' said Alicia Haefele with the Louisiana SPCA."
So, how do I know if it's too cold for my pet to be left outside? It's pretty simple. Louisiana SPCA says the best rule of thumb is that if it's too cold for you, it's too cold for your pet.
If you see any pets being mistreated by being left out in this freezing weather, please contact the Louisiana SPCA at (504) 368-5191. All calls are confidential.