PLEASE KEEP YOUR ANIMAL COMPANIONS SAFE AND WARM!

As temperatures drop, please stop and review our tips to keep pets snug as bugs this winter:

• Never let your dog off his leash in snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm. Snow can obscure familiar scents, and canines can become lost.
• Take care to wipe off your pooch's paws, legs and tummy when she comes in out of the elements. She can accidentally ingest salt, antifreeze or other chemicals while licking her paws.
• Keep your cats inside. Outdoors, felines can easily freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed.
• Do not leave your dog or cat alone in a vehicle during the winter months. A car can act as a refrigerator, holding in the cold, and cause an animal to freeze to death.
• If there are outdoor felines in your area, please make it a point to bang loudly on the hood of your car before getting in. Cats often sleep under the hoods of vehicles in search of warmth, and can be injured or killed by the fan belt when the engine is started up.
• While essential to a car's cooling system, antifreeze can be fatal to dogs and cats--even in very small amounts. Clean up any spills from your vehicle immediately and consider switching to a propylene glycol-based antifreeze, which is significantly less toxic than conventional ethylene glycol antifreeze.

For additional cold weather tips, please visit ASPCA.org.