People outraged Chester Co. animal shelter left dogs outside

CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — There's outrage over dogs being left outside at the Chester County Animal Shelter when temperatures dipped into the single digits overnight.

The dogs at the shelter only have a dog house, blankets and some straw to keep them warm.

[RELATED: CMPD reminds people to keep pets safe in bitter cold temperatures]

People in the community stood out in the freezing cold on New Year’s Day, because the shelter was closed, and made sure there was some straw to put in the outdoor kennels.

Sheriff’s deputies went over to the animal shelter and told people they had to leave because they were trespassing.

7 Tips to Keep Pets Safe in Winter 7 Tips to Keep Pets Safe in Winter

But residents like Barbara Taylor are concerned for the animals' safety.

“Somethings gotta be done, ya know, it’s urgent,” Taylor said.

The Chester County Animal Shelter let Channel 9’s cameras inside and we found about 20 dogs housed in outdoor kennels, where they stayed all night.

Chester County Supervisor Shane Stuart toured the shelter, too. He said there’s no question the county needs a new shelter, but for now it's doing all it can.

“Almost the entire population has a blanket with the doghouse. They’re sheltered in that, and they have shelter over top of them, so I think they’re doing a lot with the resources they have,” Stuart said.

But Taylor and other residents said that’s not nearly enough.

“I think it’s a shame that more can’t be done,” Taylor said.

In York County, Richardson Rescue has to keep about 15-20 dogs outside. Workers had to break up the ice in their water bowls Tuesday morning.

But at the Richardson Rescue, animals can sit on electric heat pads all night.

Brian Richardson with the rescue said just using blankets doesn’t work.

“Blankets, they freeze up, it doesn’t really work,” Richardson said.

Richardson said straw does provide warmth, but gets dirty and unusable quickly.

Officials in Chester said they can’t use plug-in heaters because of fire codes, and that would require round-the-clock staff.

Chester County Animal Shelter officials said they keep dogs and cats for months instead of just days to give them time to find homes for adoption.

County leaders admit they take in more animals than they should, but a new shelter is likely still years away.

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