It’s winter! It’s the holidays! There are snowmen and sleigh rides and rotund men with snowy white hair and flowing beards in red, fur trimmed suits, puttering about above in sleighs pulled by reindeer (well, it’s meant to snow during winter, right? And, I hear that Santa is getting ready to do his ’round the world in one night trip once again…), there are festivities, and, well, for many animals, winter means it’s cold outside.

Some people like to have pets, but they don’t like to let them in the house. Others have animals that are there for a purpose, as in working animals: cats to keep barns and farms free of vermin (not the fluffy, catnip filled vermin; real vermin), dogs to help round up cattle, sheep, and whatever else it is that farm dogs do for a living (I don’t know. I didn’t grow up on a farm. Sorry. Sure, I could google it, but so could you. Now! Back to the article!).

For me, personally, having a pet you keep outside is sort of pointless. Allowing them yard access (if you have a yard) is important, but having a pet that lives exclusively outside, is sort of pointless. But this is simply down to opinion.

What is important is this: if you have a pet that is either an outdoor pet or an indoor/outdoor pet, you need to bone up on your pet safety.

When it gets cold, a domesticated animal really has nowhere to go to keep warm except for you. So if you’re going to keep a pet outdoors during the winter months, make sure he or she has a nice, warm, dry, protected place to sleep. A kennel is a good start – for a cat and a dog. Keep it filled with clean, dry and warm materials so they can curl up and sleep. This will help protect them from rain and wind, sleet and snow, and of course, keep them warm.

In some parts of the country (depending which country you live in), temperatures can get to freezing levels, and this means water bowls can freeze, so your animal can dehydrate. Luckily, there are water bowls with a warming element available.

Personally – and in the views of many professionals – pets belong indoors with you. This helps keep them safe, keep protected wildlife safe, and helps prevent the spread of disease.

Here are some tips from the ASPCA. And here is an interesting story that has some great advice for both cat and dog people, that I read today.

Keep warm! And, don’t forget to refer your friends to Royal Pet Club. Lorenzo will be donating $5 for every friend referred to the American Humane Association.