TYLER (KYTX) -With that next round of freezing weather is on the way this week and the chance for sleet,its time get your pets ready for the cold. CBS 19s Amanda Roberson explains what pet owners need to consider as more winter weather approaches.

These animals are very resilient but at the same time these weathers are starting to get really cold. As the rain and temps fall , Gayle Helms with the Smith County Humane Society said now is the time to get pets winter ready.Really if at all possible bring your animals inside.

If pets cant stay indoors, make sure their kennels face away from the wind.

If at all possible put some sort of burlap flap over the dog house, Helms added. If you can put the dog house off the ground just a little bit so it wont be radiating that cold. Put fresh hay, you can do that all the time, or blankets to stay warm in there.

And dont forget about your feline friends. Just because they have a fur coat doesnt mean theyre protected from the winter elements either.

Even if theyre outdoors, that youve got a small area that they can go thats protected from the wind and rain and put something in there to keep them warm, said Helms.

For cats that love cars, give the hood a tap before you start the engine. And while anti-freeze is good for our cars this time of year, the sweet smell and taste can be fatal for pets.

Starting on the right paw now means a smoother winter for both pet and owner.

Most of all just make sure the pets are going to be treated like your family, Helms added. Bring them in if at all possible, if not for goodness sakes take care of them outside.

If you notice pets being neglected this winter, the best thing to do is call Tyler Animal Control (903-535-0045)if you live inside city limits and the Smith County Sheriffs Department (903-566-6600) if you live in the county.

Do not take the animals yourself.

Holiday celebrations can pose threats to pets, whether through dangerous foods and decorations or the disruption of routine.

There are many dangers, and we must be responsible guardians and take extra precautions to ensure their safety, said Karen Lillard Roach, director at DoGood for a Dog Friendly Chattanooga.

To make sure your dogs enjoy the holidays too, she said, make sure to give them the attention they are accustomed to receiving. Be sure your dogs are walked regularly, get the rest they need and have access to their toys and bed.

And because pets can easily slip outside when people are coming and going, be sure your pets always wear their collars and tags.

Roach offers additional tips for protecting your pets during the holidays.

o Flowers and greenery: Holly, mistletoe, poinsettias, greenery and berries can be fatal to your pets. If you have a live Christmas tree, Roach said, make sure your pets cannot get to the water and drink it — it could be harmful.

o Decorations: Ornament hooks, tinsel, glass ornaments, angel hair garlands and other manmade materials can be fatal if ingested.

o Electric light strands: Unplug them when you are not at home. Dogs can get tangled in cords or receive an electrical shock if they chew them.

o People food: Human food, especially during the holidays, is high in fats, and some can cause illness and even death in pets. Particularly toxic to your animals are grapes, raisins, avocado, spices and seasonings, Macadamia nuts, chocolate and artificial sweeteners.

o Food gifts: Dogs can sniff these out under the tree, so keep them out of your pets reach.

o Trash: Carry it out often to prevent pets from ingesting dangerous foods or packaging.

o Medications: These can be a problem with guests who may not realize the danger of leaving pills or even pill bottles accessible to pets, such as in a purse on the floor or on a nightstand.

The company is located adjacent to the Weizmann Institute of Science in
Ness Tsiona, less than an hour’s drive from the desert stretches of the
Negev. But in a meeting of Israeli high technology and traditional
herding, Bactochem’s DNA test can be done in the field at a cost of
about 60 shekels ($16) for each animal. It identifies the ewes with the
special gene. The test is called Real Time PCR.

Beduin shepherds say it’s worth it since they can sell the sheep for hundreds of shekels more to other breeders, Kahana said.

The new test allows a shepherd to raise flocks of sheep who will be able
to reproduce more efficiently since fewer ewes will be required for
getting the same number of lambs. This will mean a saving in feed and
water.

About half the flocks tested have been found to have the twin gene.
While called the twin gene, those that carry it actually have multiple
births, often three or four lambs. But as good as it is for the sheep
herder, the DNA test is bad news for some ewes. Those found not to have
the twinning gene have their future mapped out for them as mutton on
someone’s table. Only the ones with the twin gene get to keep on
breeding.

“The price of feed for animals is rising and you want to pay less for
feed and sell more meat … The want is to produce the maximum amount of
meat from the smallest number of animals that they have to feed. They
feed the mothers and they get from a smaller number of mothers the same
amount of meat, or they have the same number of mothers that give now
birth to 30% more offspring, meaning a 30% increase in meat,” Kahana
said.

He said that about 50% of the offspring of the sheep in every generation
with the twin gene will carry it, meaning that the next generations
will have to be checked too. He added that it was difficult to get the
use of high-tech developments into the mindset of the Beduin.

“It is not easy because for most of the Beduin. Words like ‘genetics’ or
‘mutations’ are new for them and the tradition is still very strong to
grow traditionally in the remote areas,” Kahana said.

This could prove to be suitable for the Beduin as they become more
sedentary and less nomadic. Many Beduin are starting to raise their
herds in pens near their homes and Kahana said this was necessary since
ewes giving multiple births tended to need help.

“These kinds of animals should be grown next to the manager of the herd.
There should be an eye on them, not on the traditional way where you
don’t see your animals very much. So it is a shift they have to make to
manage their herds much more carefully,” he said.

While the testing is being offered to Beduin and Jewish shepherds, it is
also suitable for sheep farmers in the Palestinian areas and Jordan,
who also have started to cross breed their flocks with the Afec breed.
“I think the potential is very high,” Kahana said.

ENJOY-YUMS

Edited press release

While youre making your holiday gift list and dreading the drive to a crowded mall, breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to getting gifts for your horses and pets.

Fresh-baked Enjoy-Yums, healthful treats made with human-grade ingredients, will delight all your animals and can be ordered easily by phone or on-line to put you in the holiday spirit. One call or a couple of clicks and thats it; no traffic, jostling or waiting in line at a cash register.

Available in colorful holiday packaging that can be used on its own after the treats are gobbled, Enjoy-Yums truly are the gifts that keep on giving. These nutritious goodies also make good presents for your animal-loving friends, who will be delighted that you remembered special members of their families.

A Little Pet Vet, the company that produces Enjoy-Yums, is run by veterinarian Craig Little and his wife, Susie, lifelong horse enthusiasts and animal lovers who have the highest standards for what they feed members of their menagerie. From pot bellied pigs to emus and alpacas; sheep, goats and rabbits, all the Littles animals love Enjoy-Yums, and yours will too. There are even special Enjoy-Yums for dogs. When your animals see you coming, theyll rush to greet you in anticipation of getting some Enjoy-Yums.

Other treats often are composed of leftovers and inferior ingredients, but animal owners can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing nutritious Enjoy-Yums are made with care and love. The well-being of animals has been first and foremost in the Littles lives, and the Hunterdon County couple is as enthusiastic about Enjoy-Yums as they have been about their other work with creatures great and small.

To order, call 1-866-516-YUMS or go to www.enjoyyums.com. Enjoy-Yums also are available at select retailers and tack shops.

ABILENE, Texas — December is bringing chilly temperatures, which means you should remember the three Ps: pets, plants, and pipes. Those are three important things that need a little extra attention with these chilly temps creeping in.

Christy Frost, with Abilene Animal Service, said any pets you keep outside need to be cared for.

Well its just like taking care of your families, its important that you keep your family warm, and its important that you keep your animals warm also, said Frost.

Not only is it important, its the law!

If your dogs are reported to be outside with no shelter and the weather is bad you can be issued a citation, said Frost.

That citation could cost you upwards of $500 not to mentioned animal services can even add extra fines if your pet is not up to date on all shots.

While your making sure Fido is cozy with blankets or towels tucked in his dog house, make sure you pay close attention to your own home.

Wrap your pipes in the areas which are exposed to the north sides, where we actually experience most of our freeze.

Doing things like covering your pipes and opening your cabinets to let heat in can save you big during the winter season.

The third thing to remember are your plants.

A wet freeze is actually better than a dry one, so watering a few times a month even in winter is a great idea.

Todd Hooper with Garden World in Abilene said people should water their yards before a freeze.

The root system will actually be enhanced. It will be able to suck up the water, but when you have a real dry freeze it does more damage. Theres no moister in the ground, it just dries out the root system and causes damage to the top, said Hooper.

While theres plenty more to see in Dream Zoo, this is essentially the meat and potatoes of the game: the ability to make animals that youd never see anywhere in the world. And, according to Kelly, Zynga Mobile spent a lot of time and effort to make sure that each and every animal in the game has its own animations and personality. The animals look and act like they want to be interacted with.

There are lots of really cool interactions that the animals have. We did a lot to really make the animals interact with the environment, Kelly gushes to us. The way that you interact with them on the device–touching them, by swiping to wash them or feed them is really a compelling experience for mobile users. Each animal will have a really distinct look and actually interact with each other. Theyll explore the environment and sort of hang out together to provide a much deeper relationship that you have with your animals than in a lot of the other zoo games. You can see that [the animals] are really very expressive.

UPDATE to original story as posted below:  Late Tuesday, Lynn Jones was offered her job back, with backpay, by Airport Terminal Services as reported by the Reno Gazette Journal.  Jones said Tuesday she was worried about retaliation should she return to the job, but is considering the offer and appreciates the firm’s efforts to make the situation right.

Weve heard the horror stories surrounding pets traveling in the cargo holds of airplanes.  But a Nevada woman who was trying to avoid adding another chapter to that ongoing saga says she was terminated for trying to help.

Lynn Jones was working as a baggage handler at Reno-Tahoe International Airport when she saw an emaciated hunting dog, with bloody paws and its body covered with sores.

The pointer was lying in a pet carrier in the cargo area of the airport on Nov. 15, waiting to be shipped to Texas.

The Transportation Safety Authority officers couldnt even get the dog to stand up to be X-rayed, Jones told the Reno Gazette Journal.  Jones, at the time, was an employee of Airport Terminal Services, the facilitys contractor.

Everyone who saw it, the TSA people, the Airport Police officers, the girls at the ticket counter, was concerned. The dog was so weak and torn up. It didnt look like it could survive the flight.

Jones told the Gazette Journal that her supervisor told her to load the dog on the plane because the animals paperwork was in order and its condition wasnt her concern. She said she was warned she would lose her job if she kept carrying on about the dog.

I was crying, she said. I kept saying that dog could not be put on a plane.

The Airport Police called Washoe County Regional Animal Services, which took custody of the pointer and provided it with veterinary care. Jones said animal control officers also were appalled at the dogs condition.

Jones said she was fired from her job on the spot.

(My supervisor) kept yelling, Thats it, youre done, you are out of here, go home, Jones said. I left.

Officials of Airport Terminal Services, which is based in St. Louis, did not return calls for comment. Jones said when she called the company after the incident, she was told she was no longer an employee because she had abandoned her job.

I didnt abandon anything; I was told to leave, she said.

When Jones went to animal services last week to get a copy of the incident report, officials said the document is confidential. They also declined to provide the Reno Gazette-Journal with any information about the incident or other recent animal abuse cases because Cooneys Law, passed this year by the Legislature, keeps cases details secret.

The animal control people were wonderful at the airport, and right after they took the dog, they said it was in very bad shape, but it would probably pull through, Jones said. After that, they could tell me nothing.

She said shipping documents indicated that the dog was owned by a hunter in Texas who keeps it in a kennel and has it shipped to the places he hunts.

I hope he didnt get the dog back, Jones said.

Did the handler do the right thing?  Or should she have been fired for going around her supervisor?  Do you trust airline and airport workers to do the right thing when flying your animals as cargo?

Alpacas and llamas originate from the high altiplano in Peru, Chile and Bolivia. The vegetation there is sparse which explains why these South American camelids have a digestive system which can
extract nutritional value from fibrous matter.

Alpacas obviously eat grass but this, on its own, is not sufficient to provide the balanced diet required for healthy animals in the long term. Because of
the low food value of their natural forage, they are programmed to eat a lot of it to maintain themselves.

Their teeth continue to grow until they are about seven years old because they are expected to be worn down as they chew their food. In order to extract all the nutrient value from the food they
eat, they have a long gut and they are also designed to be resistant to high levels of minerals which are found in their natural forage.

Since food is scarce on the altiplano, they will also range over long distances and browse on shrubs and bushes.

During the year, their body condition will fluctuate according to the amount of food available.

For a female, this depends on whether she is pregnant and/or nursing, while for a male it will be dependent on the amount of energy he has to expend to chase females or defend them against rivals.

Your own alpacas are unlikely to face these harsh altiplano conditions as they are probably kept in relatively small paddocks with an abundant supply of grass. This may well provide their energy
and protein needs but bear in mind that the nutrient value of grass itself varies during the year.

The new growth in spring is very nutritious but the food value drops as the year progresses and, even if there is plenty to be had, your animals will not be
getting the same food value from it.

Grass is a soft, nutritious plant and on its own does not provide the fibre and bulk that your alpacas require. Being shallow-rooted, it does not provide the level of minerals that alpacas need.

Because of this, you will have to provide supplementary food for your herd. Most owners feed small amounts of concentrate feed. A number of suppliers now formulate these feeds specifically for
camelids, ensuring that they receive a proper balance of protein, calories, starch and minerals.

For the full article see the December edition of Smallholder.

I made a trip around town today and I noticed that most outdoor dog house openings were facing north or west. Dont expose your animals to all the severe north and western winds we get during the winter. Please change the entrances to face the south or the east. Wouldnt want your animals to freeze to death.

These police must really be feeling threatened if they have to use pepper spray on an 84-year-old woman who was with the Occupy Wall Street people. Im sure she was a real threat to them.

Obama is so against the rich and their taxes yet he goes to Hawaii and other places costing us over $4 million for fuel, staff, pilots, food and a luxurious living space. Also, he had a nice day Monday, Nov. 14, as he had a fundraiser in the morning, off in the afternoon and an evening with his wife. Does this help our economy?

George Wills column in Thursdays paper on the destruction of the First Amendment by people who pretend to favor intellectual diversity is really powerful. In virtually every university in America, Gauleiters are snuffing out dissenting views. The entrenched educational establishment crushes ideas that are truly diverse.

When will the new Mega-Lo department store open?

The OWS meeting will be this Saturday evening at 7 on the southwest corner of the square.

The most vulnerable and needful people in Illinois are these children who have been served by Catholic Charities. The state of Illinois with their liberal lunacy and political correctness have just cut out a good resource for these poor children. We should be very proud of our state government.

As consumers, were being lied to again. I know people who work at the Mitsubishi plant in Bloomington. They are not making that electric car, not yet. But, they are advertising it as though they are. We are being lied to and I think the US ought to do something about it.

Why couldnt they take and shorten the 1,700-mile pipeline for the oil?

Once again, Obama is thinking only of himself and his Muslim friends. They could put a pipeline from Canada to Texas or even just through North America and bring in lots of oil. Our gas prices would go down and we would have jobs. But no, hes only worried about getting re-elected and worrying about the environmental people, those who give him money and the actors and actresses.

Well it looks like the lying, liberal media is going to pick the rhino who is just like McCain, Mitt Romney, to be the presidential candidate. That will ensure that Obama is going to stay king for another four years. I dont think decent, hard-working American people have a prayer.

Does anyone know whats happened to the South Jacksonville leaf pickup? Ive had leaves in bags for two weeks now. They are starting to rot and stink to high heaven. I would like to know when the pick-up will be. They made a big production out of saying it would be a wonderful pickup program but its been two weeks with no pick-up.

I have but one thing to say to all my Republican friends who continue to harp about helping the poor. Remember what Jesus said, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to make it to heaven. Just something to think about.

I was looking online at the Journal-Courier at a picture that looked like a mouse in a pumpkin. I was wondering why that picture wasnt in the paper, it deserved to be put in the paper moreso than some of the pictures that have made it into the paper.

I just heard on the news that the Republican lawmakers are saying that Gov. Quinn is going to cut the mental health budget. And that he should also cut the budget for roads and infrastructure. That was the most ridiculous thing Id ever heard. Everyone needs the roads, even the mental health patients, to get to where they need to go.

Congratulations Jeff Tobin. We are so proud of you. This is from your classmates from Routt.

We shouldnt tolerate the whole Morgan County area being taxed just to build District 117s school. There are other school districts in this county.

District 117 continues to use a system that rewards failure by giving pay raises to administrators and teachers who cant make the grade. This is a recipe for failure. Theres no surprise that were getting what were getting.

A number of area teachers are getting heat because students in that district did poorly on the state tests. I think it is unfair to blame them when the parents actually create the learning environment for their children. Parents who have high expectations of their kids will raise a child who performs and behaves better in school. Parents who have no expectations get just what they expect, a poorly behaved and poor learning child. Send them to school every day, make them behave, support the teachers in what they do and you will have a well-learned child who meets the state standards for learning. Learning and behavior start at home.

Beardstown school was off on Veterans Day. The Veterans Day Memorial service was held uptown at 11 am Other than the choir, who sang the National Anthem wonderfully, where were all the other kids? If it was a football rally it would have drawn a big crowd.

Would it help if I say please in all caps for you to dim your headlights and quit tailgating in Morgan County? If you get a kick out of it there is something seriously wrong with you. You are blinding others.

As we approach the second anniversary of the death of the late Gregory Thompson, lets consider honoring him by reprinting in the newspaper some of his many wondrously crafted and intellectually stirring letters to the editor. We need more writers like him.

Why wasnt Russell Callahan charged with attempted murder?

People of Jacksonville if you dont like the price of gas here buy it in Springfield along with your groceries and Christmas gifts.

Lincoln Gardens restaurant that replaced Perkins is a joke. I was there when two girls came in to ask for applications for a job. The manager came over and got up into their faces and was down right rude, hateful and disrespectful. With this type of treatment all I can say is, girls I am sorry, not all people are scumbags. With that I turned and walked out and will not ever go back. If that is the kind of customer service they give, hard telling what kind they give to customers who decide to try a meal. Customer service is the main ingredient for a successful business. Lincoln Square Gardens, this is one customer you lost and I will spread the word of your hospitality to all I know.

Why is it that the government always wants to solve problems by implementing more rules and regulations when the cause of the initial problem is generally not enforcing the existing laws and regulations?

Given the fact that most of us constantly try to get government special benefits, often ones that other citizens do not get, maybe we are all getting the quality of government in Illinois and in Washington that we deserve. Perhaps we have met the enemy and it is us. What do you think?

As a retired teacher I paid for almost everything in my classroom my children needed. The big money makers are the teachers unions.

A new Cass County jail? What a great idea. Three million dollars in construction costs, six new employees, benefits, food, medical costs for the prisoners, utilities, phones, computers. Yeah that will be much cheaper than the prisoner cost of $160,000 per year. Try selling that to the 5,500 households in Cass County. Let me know when you are having your first news conference, I want to be there.

School budgets for schools are way down and the biggest problem is teachers and staff salaries, while their pay is not all that high, 80 percent of most school budgets is for teachers salaries and staff salaries.

The original premise for the Bush era tax cuts for the super rich was that they would stimulate the economy and create jobs if they had greater wealth. That was eleven years ago and the cuts are still in place. Hows it working for you so far?

I just read where the Republican Flavor of the week, Newt Leroy Gingrich, who has been ranting and raving about the meltdown caused by the housing crisis served on Freddie Mac for 10 years and was paid two million dollars for his expertise. Wouldnt you think if he was the genius that he purports to be maybe he would have given his employer a hint that everything was about to collapse? Oh well, he came out $2 million to the good, isnt that what is important?

I hope everyone read Freida Marie Crumps Homemade for the Holidays, it was very good.

Read Isaiah 5:20-25 and it will tell you why Gods wrath is going to fall on this country.

Id like to thank Kay McCausland of Virginia for providing a real nice IGA grocery store for the people of Virginia. Its greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Forty minutes outside of Jacksonville, still in the state of Illinois, I just filled up my car for 37 cents less than what it costs in Jacksonville.

We would like to see that your crossword puzzles are made a little bit easier for us more mentally challenged persons. We cant seem to make any progress with it. Please lighten up on them some. Thank you.

Would you kindly open your paper, today, to the school board and sports menu and read it for me because I sure cant. Im paying a lot of money for this paper to not be able to read it.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — According to the Stormtracker 13 forecast, Monday night temperatures will drop well below zero for many areas throughout southern Colorado.

Affordable Plumbing and Heating plumber, Johan Huber said sub-zero temperatures can resulting in freezing water and splitting pipes.

“I’ve seen [water] go from the third floor to basements. I’ve seen drywall falling down. I’ve seen three feet of water in people’s crawlspaces,” said Huber in reference to the damage caused by splitting pipes.

Huber suggests letting water drip from faucets, showers and baths to prevent the water from freezing. Huber also suggests improving the circulation of warm air in your home by opening cupboard doors and said it is important to know how to shut your water off, just in case.

Penrose-St. Francis Hospital amp; Health Services’ Dr. Tim Hurtado said frostbite cases will also be on the increase with the dropping temperatures.

“If you don’t dress warmly it doesn’t take much in the weather. I’ve seen it in people who are just going out to check their car, to change a tire or put chains on. We’ve had a number of cases already this year,” said Hurtado.

Hurtado suggests dressing in layers and covering all exposed skin. He also advises breathing through a scarf to prevent cold-induced respiratory issues.

Hurtado said it is also a good idea to keep an extra pair of clothes in your vehicle, especially during this time of abundant holiday parties.

“If you’re going to go somewhere in your nice suit, you probably ought to throw some warm clothes in the back in case you get stranded,” he said.

The Humane Society also stressed that people are not the only ones who can suffer from frostbite.

“It’s really sad, their little tips of their ears can get frostbite. Their paws can get frostbite really easily so really just keep them in mind and keep them really safe,” said Erica Meyer of the Humane Society.

She said it is important to limit your animals exposure to the cold and make sure to bring your animals indoors. She also said to put a coat or special canine booties on your dog, to protect them from the cold.

“If you have a larger breed dog that’s pretty burly, just remember that their paws can freeze in the cold,” said Meyer.

Meyer also said it is more likely for a dog to get lost during the winter because they have difficulties finding their scents in the snow. For that reason, she strongly encourages everyone to keep their animals on leashes.