That's why wolves, coyotes, sled dogs, lynx, mountain lions, panthers, etc., all put on their parkas when they go outside in the winter.
My two dachshunds are curled up under the wood stove as we speak. They don’t do cold well.
My girl kitty usually runs everywhere. If it’s cold outside and I open the door, she accordions into her nose and ends up looking like a concertina with ears and a tail. Most of the winter she won’t go outside unless it is sunny and relatively warm.
Wow! I wonder how wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, buffalo and all the other mammals which are indigenous to clod climates managed to survive before people came along to invite them in to their homes.
With that said, there is a big difference between chaining your dog to a porch rail where it cannot seek shelter from the wind or weather, and keeping an “outside” dog which you have provided with access to a dog-house (or other shelter)and an unfrozen source of water.
No, if you want to know how your pet feels in cold, go outside WITH your jacket. Dogs wear their jackets 24/7.
I am NOT, NOT letting the cows in.
It depends on the animal, the breed, and the accommodations they have during summer and winter.
My Labrador Retriever for instance. He won’t go outside during the summer when it hits 100 during the day for weeks on end, unless I put a sprinkler or a kiddy pool out in the yard for him. During the winter, he likes being outside and rooting through the snow.
My hound dog is the exact opposite.
We have a neighbor who leaves her Great Pyrenees outside 24/7. Right now, here in the mountains it’s about 12 degrees. It’s outside whether it’s raining, snowing, icing, hot, or cold. It sits outside and barks pathetically all day and night. She pretty much ignores the thing except for a once every-two-month walk so she can post a picture on Facebook. We’ve been up many a night from it’s barking, and up every day early because of it, too.
She calls herself a dog lover.
She needs to be arrested for animal cruelty and the dog needs to be removed and put up for adoption.
We always had dogs on the farm. Two collies, four beagles and a couple of mutts that took up residence.
No matter how cold or how much snow those doggies found themselves a place to shelter from the weather.
Four barns, three sheds, a garage and an abandoned chicken coop served as dog houses.
Those dogs took the coldest weather in stride.
We fed them well and they looked for their shelter when they needed it.
Maybe not all...
How absolutely ridiculous. This guy may have the brains of a chihuahua, but nothing else.
I recently made friends with a wandering cat that was passing by my door a couple of times a day on its patrols. After about 6 months of me leaving food out, it finally decided to be friends. I thought it was feral, but apparently it really likes hanging out with people and is litter box trained. Even goes on my ‘daily constitutional’ walk with me.
But it still prefers to go outside even in single digit temperatures, once I decide to go to bed, even though I try to get him to stay in and warm.
Is a very long haired cat though. I suppose that makes a big difference in staying warm.
Outside? Our female Beagle has the nicest dog house available, four bedrooms, three baths, carpet, over stuffed chairs and soft beds. Outside is a five minute nature call and back in the her house.
We’ve got three dogs and all deal differently with the cold.
The Border Terrier hates the cold. She spends just enough time outside to take of business and not a second more.
The (sort of) Shi Tzu, which is bigger than a beagle, will spend longer outside if there is something worth barking at, but won’t hurry to come in.
The Tibetan Terrier is the cold lover. Anytime there is snow on the ground, she rolls in it.
The wife closely watches how long any of them are outside and quickly gets them back indoors.