Pets in the cold: How to keep your furry friends safe and warm this winter

With chilly and freezing temperatures hitting the Miami Valley this week, animal experts are warning that pets can get frostbite in less than an hour.

In Greenville, it was a fun day in the snow for Jasper, a Labrador retriever.

>> How cold is too cold for your pets to be outside?

But his owners made sure he wasn’t outside in the cold for too long.

The same was true for another pup, Max, just up the block.

His owner, Pam Berry, said she keeps an extra eye on him this time of year.

“Make sure he’s not outside very long because they get cold real easy, especially the small dogs,” said Berry.

She added that Max is good about letting her know when he wants to go back inside.

>> SICSA: Bring pets inside; if it’s too cold for you, it’s too cold for them

“He just foes out until he gets cold and then he comes back in and gets in his cubby hole,” Berry explained. “He’s got a little cubby hole at the end of the couch with a blanket that he curls up in.”

News Center 7’s John Bedell also saw more than a few cats out while he was in Greenville.

Caleb Roetter-Ditty owns one of them.

“I let them out and then usually check every 10 to 20 minutes to see if they want back in,” he said.

>> Humane society’s 7 tips to keep pets safe in cold weather

A Greenville veterinarian told Bedell that pets can get frostbite in 30 to 60 minutes in freezing temperatures.

That’s especially true for exposed skin on cats and dogs, like their ears and paw pads.

According to Brian Weltge, president and CEO of the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, there’s a simple rule most pet owners can follow when it comes to keeping pets outside in the winter.

“If it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your pet.”