Animals too, need shelter in wintertime

Winter is just ahead, and when the cold winds blow and the rain pounds down, animals as well as humans need a safe, warm shelter.

If you have a variety of animals at home, or are considering adding them to your life, there are some things to consider.

I've spent a great deal of time and effort creating a safe, dry place for my animals and I've done it all on a limited budget.

During the moderate to warm months of the year, I put together a plan and began developing a facility for horses that isn't all that fancy, but accommodates them during the wet, winter months.

I'm always looking for inexpensive to no-money-out-of pocket materials that do the job. Through the years, I've accumulated rubber matting for the floor of the barn.

This is the only way that makes sense if you have horses. I have taken a portable shelter, added siding and flooring to make cleaning up after large animals easier - especially in winter.

One of the keys to the project was to elevate the inside of the structure with road base topped with decomposed granite that packs like cement. If you mound it in the center, any liquids will drain to the outside.

I found some thick conveyer belting that was discarded from use. It's not that easy to find, but if you can find it, it is the cheapest way to go. Otherwise, and I have done this too, purchase a couple of good rubber mats at the farm and yard store every time they go on sale.

I even found like-new, used mats in the classified ads one time and they were very affordable. Trust me, rubber mats can be hosed off or swept with a push broom. And, there's virtually no mud.

My horses huddle in the barn during the cold, wet days and nights of winter.

It is much healthier for animals to live where they can escape the wet times of the months if they are in confined quarters of a few acres or less. Livestock out in the hills, can escape wind in canyons, they huddle in groups to stay warm.

My horses sometimes like to stand out in the weather, but at least with a shelter, they have an option.

Dogs and cats need shelter too. I used to have a pet flap in the door at one place I lived in, but these days, one dog stays in at night, while the other has a nice, padded dry dog house on an elevated porch. She has a long, heavy coat and is content snuggled in.

When the weather turns fierce, I often allow her to stay in a storage room off the carport that has a dog bed and the amenities of a house. It's dry and safe in snow, sleet and hail.

If you are going to have animals, they need to be cared for. I've seen some sad situations that would qualify as cruelty to animals. Some people just don't think about the environment they allow their pets or livestock to live in.

Each year, I try to improve my large animals' living quarters. Sometimes it means adding mats, like what I did recently for the paddock. It's an open area between the shelter and the water trough. The horses used to tromp back and forth, leaving behind manure and urine in what would become a mucky area.

Not anymore.

I actually added decomposed granite, with salvaged rubber mats on this area. It now can be cleaned easier, no mucking to it. Just use the manure fork and push broom and it cleans up good.

Things like this aids in the prevention of hoof issues. That black, stinky thrush occurs when livestock wallows in mud mixed with manure and urine continually. There has to be a reprieve, an escape from this unhealthy concoction.

Life isn't as simple with animals. A person must be dedicated to caring for them year round as the seasons don't cease. Face it, life with or without animals goes on and on, year after year.

If you're not up to the task fending for God's creatures large and small leave the animals to those who care enough to put up with the inconvenience of the winter months as well as the fair weather times.

There is nothing that angers me more than people who insist on having animals they refuse to properly care for.