Dogs and Ice Are a Deadly Combination

I remember a tragic story I heard as a youngster about a neighbor’s dog that wandered away from his Rensselaer County home early one wintry day and ended up falling through the ice on a pond about a mile away. Sadly, the pup wasn’t discovered until much later after it had perished in the icy water.

There are similar stories that circulate every winter; some with happier endings. Here is just such a story based in Massachusetts with a twist from the online magazine PetHealthNetwork.com <http://pethealthnetwork.com/>: http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/news-blogs/a-pets-life/dog-falls-through-ice-and-saved-firefighters.

A common-sense approach to keeping your pets safe during the winter months is offered here by weather experts at Accuweather: http://www.accuweather.com/en/outdoor-articles/outdoor-living/keeping-your-pets-safe-outdoor/40708.

Basically, if you live near any body of water it’s a good rule of thumb to keep your pooch on a leash or securely fenced in on your property. If you have cats that frequent the outdoors there’s only so much you can do to keep them from harm.

Here in Clifton Park and throughout Upstate New York and New England the winter air temperatures fluctuate so often that unless we experience a deep freeze for more than a few days it’s probably safe to assume that ice-covered lakes and ponds will not support pet or human.

If you have questions about bodies of water local to Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties contact fire or police officials in your area. Be sure to refer questions or concerns about your pet to her/his veterinarian.

Dog Obedience Training goes a long way to ensuring your dog will obey commands and stay out of harm’s way. Why not consider basic or advanced canine obedience training from the professionals at Albany/Saratoga Off Leash K9 Training for your pooch. Refresher training courses are also available!