HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) – With temperatures below freezing, the Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Control Shelter has had to make adjustments to the animals’ living arrangements. 

Workers had to bring animals who could typically stay outside, inside to keep them warm.

When the temperature drops below 40 degrees, they say, none of the animals are able to be outside for long, and last week, the shelter added more kennels along the floors inside.

“Last week, it was just impossible because the weather was just too bad. Once temperatures drop below 40 degrees at night outside, that’s miserable place to be. As anyone went outside last week, that wind took any bit of warm from you. So, imagine being in that long term,” said Andrea Perkins, the Office Manager for the Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Control Shelter.

Shelter workers also explained daily walks and outside enrichment time stops when it gets too cold, and even though they’re completely full they saw more dogs being brought in to the shelter.

“We’ve seen is an uptick in calls on welfare checks for people who don’t have adequate housing for their animals, or they just got lose or strays, etc. But we’ve made sure that everybody has a comfortable place to sleep, that they’re not too cold,” Perkins said.

They’re working now to get ahead of things before the temperature drops again in the coming weeks.

One step they’ve made is in working with One by One, an organization sponsoring adoptions.

Right now, any dog that’s been in the shelter for 30 days, weighing more than 30 pounds, can now be adopted for only $30.

Anyone interested can fill out an application here.

Anyone interested in helping by donating can do so here or in person at the shelter.