Deep freeze in Valley drags on; take dogs inside, warden urges

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A wind-chill advisory will be in effect until noon Wednesday in Mahoning County, where the wind-chill temperature will reach 20 below and a real temperature as low as 3 below today.

Those cold conditions are reason enough for the Dianne Fry, Mahoning County dog warden, and Jason Cooke, a Boardman animal activist, to recommend that everyone with an outside dog bring the animal inside.

The high today will be 13, and the low temperature will be 2 above zero tonight. The wind-chill will be as low as 11 degrees below zero early Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The same wind-chill advisory is in effect through Wednesday in Trumbull County with the wind-chill reaching 17 below today and 12 below Wednesday. The real temperature will reach a high of 14 degrees today and 20 degrees Wednesday.

Those cold conditions are reason enough for the Dianne Fry, Mahoning County dog warden, and Jason Cooke, a Boardman animal activist, to recommend that everyone with an outside dog bring the animal inside.

Fry said her agents rescued four dogs from Youngstown last week, mostly because the animal was outside in the cold without a license.

“Really it’s just common sense,” Fry said. “Some breeds are more acclimated to the cold. But when it’s this cold, no dog really should be outside.”

For instance, pit bull terriers are a popular breed, but they are muscular dogs with very little fat or hair to keep them warm.

People have used electric heaters, heated mats, a wind-break over he dog house entrance and heated water dishes to he