It is currently the heart of the winter season. Despite that I am often left wondering why dogs are roaming the neighborhood or left in the yard all day long, and how cats can be locked outside all night to freeze in the snow and dangerously low temperatures. Please keep your pets indoors or supervised for the benefit of wildlife and themselves! Cats should never be permitted outside as they are astoundingly adept bird and small mammal killers that take the lives of billions of creatures in our country each year. Dogs will enjoy playing outdoors any time, like my boy here, eating the snow and acting like it is business as usual, but they too can easily be harmed by the weather. They can also disturb and kill wildlife, chasing after songbirds feeding on a beach or field, attacking waterfowl in ponds, or encountering other mammals they should not tangle with including raccoons and skunks. Please keep in mind our furry family members are non-native creatures that can decimate the natural world if left unsupervised or not properly attended…and their own safety depends on us, too!
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
