As a kid from rural Georgia, my two favorite things growing up were my pets and hunting.

Most of my childhood hunting was spent on a tree nursery all the way across the county from my home. There were two entry points to the property, and one of the entry points went directly past the farmer’s house which rested on the edge of the property.

The farmer had a fenced-in area for his own dogs that spanned several acres and included a nice barn for the dogs to take shelter in. In my college years, one of the dogs, Spud, was deemed worthy of retirement and granted permission to roam the entire property (which was also fenced) freely during the daylight hours. To this day, I am still not sure exactly what Spud retired from, as I do not believe the dogs had any working or hunting purpose. But nevertheless, Spud was free to roam.

And roam he did. Spud had a unique way of always showing up randomly in my hunts. Sometimes Spud would crash through the woods in the darkest part of the morning when I was walking in, generally causing me to have a near-heart attack in the process. Other times, I would have been in the tree stand for several hours and Spud would somehow catch my scent and start to look for me. The poor dog never seemed to understand that I was, in fact, right above him in a tree.

By this point in my life, I had already taken two nice bucks off the property and was not very aggressive in my hunting there. As such, Spud was often a comedic relief to an otherwise boring hunt. As an avid lover of dogs, I would spend most of my time playing with Spud in the woods unless I felt that it would impede other hunters on the property.

I was not much of a turkey hunter at the time, so when deer season was over, I wouldn’t see Spud until the next deer season opened.

Due to some college classes getting cancelled, I got to start one deer season earlier than usual by hunting on a weekday. Weekdays were always great to hunt because I would be the only hunter on the property.

On this hunt, I accessed the property by my normal route, parking at the farmer’s house, and walking a short distance to my tree stand. For a couple of hours, I did not see much of anything. But around 8:30 or 9:00 a.m., a couple of does started to appear. They did not stay for very long, as Spud appeared, seemingly chasing them out of my line of sight.

I laughed to myself and waited 10-15 minutes for any deer to show back up. Upon not seeing any other deer, I climbed down the tree and started to walk back towards my truck.

While making my way there, I saw the farmer and he waved me over to him. He asked how I’d done. I laughed and replied that I was doing okay until Spud ran some does off.

The farmer gave me a confused look and asked what I meant.

I told him that Spud had chased a couple of does off, but that it was okay because that was normal for me.

The farmer gave me a bit of a sad look and said that that was impossible. Spud had died several months earlier. He was buried in a nearby field.

To this day, I have no other explanation for what I saw. Spud was unmistakable in the woods. He was a tall, lean dog with almost entirely white fur. Notwithstanding the white fur, what I saw was too tall to be a coyote and too dog-like in its movements to be an albino deer. While the property had a few residential neighbors, I never saw any of their dogs on the property and, to the best of my knowledge, none of the neighbors had any white dogs. The incident occurred no more than 40 yards from my stand. This would be first and last sighting of whatever it was that I saw. Moreover, it genuinely seemed like the does I had been watching were actively running from what I believed was Spud.

I have since given up trying to find a different explanation, and instead just like to think it was Spud’s way of hunting with me one last time.

Bringing the Dog-Gone Law Into This

While I do enjoy reminiscing about Spud and our last, mysterious encounter, I thought that this Halloween-themed story would time out well for an important topic: domesticated animal welfare rules pertaining to cold weather. Temperatures are quickly dropping in North Carolina, and following a few tips may keep your pet alive and you out of trouble with the law.

It is worth noting that rules on this subject are most often in the form of local ordinances passed at the county or city level. As a result, there are two important takeaways. First, the exact language of the rule applied to your pets will depend on the city and county that you and your pet reside in. Second, the tips provided in this article are only tips and, when taken alone, might not guarantee your complete fulfilment with all relevant rules. Point being, read your ordinances and decide what is appropriate for your pets.

It is also worth noting that these rules generally apply to pets (e.g., dogs, cats, pet rabbits, pet birds, etc.), but not livestock animals (e.g., cattle, pigs, poultry – animals generally owned for some consumption purpose). Again, local ordinances should be referred to when determining the applicable rules.

To provide examples of what your local ordinance might (but is not guaranteed to) look like, we’ll refer to Charlotte and Raleigh’s ordinances.

Section 3-62(a) of Charlotte’s Code of Ordinances states that “[i]t shall be unlawful if a person negligently or willfully: (9) fails to provide an adequate shelter for an animal he owns, possesses, harbors, or encloses, wherein the animal can be protected from extremes of weather (heat, cold, rain, etc.) and allowed to remain dry and comfortable during inclement weather . . . [or] keeps animals outdoors without access to shelter to allow them to remain dry and comfortable during inclement weather.” Section 3-3 states that [a]dequate shelter means an enclosed area accessible by an animal, of sufficient size and nature so as to provide the animal with reasonable protection from adverse weather conditions.”

Conversely, Section 12-3009(a) of Raleigh’s Code of Ordinances states that “[a]ll dogs and cats shall be given adequate feed, adequate water and adequate shelter.”

Section 12-3004 of Raleigh’s Code of Ordinances defines “adequate shelter” as “[s]helter which will keep any non-aquatic domesticated animals protected from extreme weather, dry, out of the direct path of winds, and out of the direct sun by means of artificial or natural shade. Shelter shall be adequate when access to shelter meets the following requirements:

(a) Is constructed of solid wood or weather resistant material, with solid walls on all sides, that is wind and moisture proof, with a dry floor raised at least four (4) inches above the ground, a solid, water-proof roof sloped away from the entrance to protect from weather and extreme cold, a covered entrance by flexible windproof material or a self-closing swinging door;

(b) With suitable bedding (hay, straw, cedar shavings, blankets, or the equivalent that is routinely changed to avoid the growth of bacteria) for insulation and protection against cold and damp sufficient for an animal to burrow to promote retention of body heat,

(c) Is out of the direct path of wind;

(d) Is free of waste or debris;

(e) Gives the animal the ability to walk, stand, turn and lie down comfortably; and

(f) With drainage to eliminate excess water and moisture, protection from rain, sleet, snow, hail and the adverse effects of heat and cold.”

Section 12-3009(b) of Raleigh’s Code of Ordinances actually goes one steps further and states that “[a]nimals housed under the following conditions shall not constitute adequate shelter:

(1) Underneath outside steps, decks and stoops; or

(2) Inside of vehicles; or

(3) Underneath vehicles; or

(4) Inside metal or plastic barrels or cardboard boxes; or

(5) Rooms, sheds or other buildings without windows or proper ventilation.”

Thus, as you can clearly see, each municipality is likely to have varying definitions of terms like ‘animal shelter’ and ‘adequate.’ Again, please refer to your local ordinances to determine what steps to take for your pet.

Good Steps to Take

Still, while following the ordinances is always superior to anything else written in this article, the following practices can be beneficial for your pets as temperatures get cooler:

1. Get the Right Shelter. Generally speaking, the best shelter for pets kept outside will have four solid walls with a solid roof. By clarifying that the walls and roof should be solid, it excludes certain means of shelter such as chain link fencing which would let wind and precipitation penetrate through to your pet. Likewise, the floor should also be solid and enable your pet to retain warmth. Insulation such as straw or dry bedding can greatly help your pet retain body heat that would otherwise be lost to the ground.
2. Get the Right Size of Shelter. Size also plays an important factor here. The appropriately-sized shelter for your pet depends on your pet’s size. For a larger breed of dog, such as a German Shepherd, the shelter will need to be larger. But the opposite is true too – smaller breeds of dogs, such as chihuahuas, will need smaller shelters. The general rule of thumb is that a pet should be able to stand up, turn around, and lay down in the shelter. A shelter that is too small will prevent this range of motion; however, a shelter that is too large will minimize heat retention from your pet’s body.
3. Keep It Clean. By cleaning your pet’s excrement, old food and water, and any other debris from your pet’s shelter, your pet is more likely to stay in the shelter and remain clean, minimizing risk of parasites and other issues often seen with unkept pet shelters.
4. Don’t Forget About Cats, Rabbits, and Other Pets. Animal welfare ordinances are generally applicable to all pets, not just dogs. Every pet is entitled under the protections of the law to an adequate shelter that is suitable to their specific needs. For example, rabbits, as a prey species, need a ‘hide’ area when they believe predators are approaching to minimize the potential for a heart attack. Rabbits also lack padding on their paws, and can develop gait-related issues when sitting on exposed wire flooring. Likewise, cats have their own unique shelter needs.
5. When in doubt, bring them inside. Inevitably, some part of an animal’s shelter will somehow not be enough – the dog may chew through one of the walls, it may get too cold for the shelter to be sufficiently warm, etc. – something will happen that means your best option for your pet that night is simply bringing them inside until you can remedy the issue or outlast the cold front.