Noting the cold weather that has already descended on Guanajuato this fall, Vivian Lohmeyer sent us a couple of suggestions to pass along to people with dogs that spend nights outdoors, which is the case for many dogs here. She recommends giving them an old sweater or buying one at a local market, where used sweaters can be purchased for a few pesos. The arms of the sweater can be cut short to fit the dog’s forelegs, and the body of the sweater can also be cut and stitched or taped to fit the dog around its tummy. The dog will be much warmer, especially during the cold nights.
If you have ever stepped outdoors in your bare feet during a cold night here, you know how miserable it must be for a dog to have to curl up for the night on a sidewalk somewhere. The kindest thing you can do is to invite your dog indoors at night. If that is not possible, the next best thing is to provide him or her with a doghouse and a blanket.
Arno Naumann, president of Amigos de Animales de San Miguel de Allende, constructs well-insulated doghouses for his rescued dogs using the following method and materials. He makes a platform of bricks or cement so that the doghouse will be raised off the ground. Next, he buys a plastic kennel that is large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in, but not so large as to allow the dog’s body heat to escape. Inside the kennel he puts a piece of plywood cut to the size of the kennel floor. This helps to insulate the kennel from the cold cement or brick platform.
He surrounds the kennel with straw bales and covers the straw with wire mesh. He then covers the mesh and straw with a layer of cement. After the cement dries, he covers it with membrane fabric used for sealing roofs and paints it with impermeable paint. Once the kennel is painted with impermeable paint, it can be painted any color. The doghouse is now protected not only from the cold winter weather but also from the hot spring sun and summer rains.
If you cannot afford a custom-made doghouse like Arno’s or one made of plastic or wood, then please go to your local supermarket and pick up a sturdy cardboard box just big enough for your dog to be comfortable in, tape the top shut, cut a door on the side for your dog to use, and put layers of folded newspaper and a blanket inside. Place it in an area sheltered from the wind and put a weight on it so that it doesn’t move. Your dog will be very grateful.