Jane’s sweater isn’t just a fashion statement. While its blue and gray fabric might perfectly contrast her coppery coat, the 3-year-old shelter dog is wearing it to protect her from the unusually cold temperatures plaguing Alachua County this winter.
Amid below-freezing temperatures and historic Winter Storm Enzo, Alachua County animal shelters worked to ensure their furry residents would be kept comfortable with extra blankets, heaters and fluffy sweaters.
Jane wasn’t the only Puppy Hill Farm canine sporting extra layers during the rescue’s weekly PetSmart appearance Jan. 25. Others in neighboring kennels wore jackets of a variety of colors to keep out the chill while they waited for potential adopters.
According to Meghann O’Brien, the pet rescue’s executive director, it’s all part of the plan to keep the animals warm.
Located in Melrose, Florida, about 20 miles east of Gainesville, Puppy Hill Farm has private kennel space for big dogs and an old house turned into a facility for cats and smaller dogs.
When the temperature is forecasted to remain below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for multiple nights in a row, O’Brien said, the rescue begins to prepare for cold weather by moving as many large dogs as possible into foster homes.
Volunteers also try to make extra space at the smaller animals’ facility, she said, with extra priority given to senior dogs or animals most vulnerable to the cold.
O’Brien said she estimated 20 big dogs are staying in the rescue’s kennels during the cold weather spell, while another 15 are staying with fosters.
“For the ones that have to stay in the kennel, we make sure they have extra bedding,” O’Brien said. “We do put coats on them, and we do run the heaters.”
O’Brien said the changes in routine are an annual occurrence each winter, with most preparation completed by December.
However, Franziska Raeber, the Humane Society of North Central Florida’s director of development, said this winter’s weather has been unusually extreme.
Even though the rescue is accustomed to dealing with unruly weather in the form of hurricanes, prolonged cold weather is rare in Alachua County, Raeber said. Once the temperatures dip into the 30s, Raeber said, she and other employees start to worry for the animals’ well being.
“It is probably unique right now because it's been one cold snap after another,” she said.
According to data from Iowa State University’s Iowa Environmental Mesonet, Alachua County received more than 10 freeze warnings between Jan. 1 and Jan. 24. The county only received two in the same time frame in 2024.
A freeze warning is issued when temperatures are forecasted to dip below 32 degrees for a long period of time, according to the National Weather Service.
A winter storm warning for Winter Storm Enzo, issued Jan. 22, plunged the county into temperatures just below freezing. While Alachua County didn’t see any snow, The Weather Channel estimates Milton, Florida, just north of Pensacola, received 8.8 inches. This more than doubled Florida’s previous snowfall record of 4 inches, which was set in March 1954.
Amid the unusually cold weather, Raeber said, some of the Humane Society’s dogs were adorned with knit sweaters to fight the cold.
“Those that are tolerating them are all wearing cute little sweaters,” she said. “Our big change is extra blankets, much more blankets, and then sweaters.”
While the Humane Society of North Central Florida’s zen, isolation and quarantine rooms are heated, Raeber said, its adoption floor isn’t. In preparation for the frigid weather, dogs prone to illness or in need of medical care were pulled into the heated rooms.
Foster homes were top priority for others, Raeber said.
“Fostering is our key element,” she said. “Going to foster homes allows us to create space to pull from other shelters that are in dire need.”
Alachua County Animal Resources & Care, the official county-run animal services organization, also prioritized fosters during the cold spell.
Anticipating Winter Storm Enzo, the shelter sent out a Facebook post Jan. 20 urgently requesting short-term dog fosters.
Julie Johnson, the shelter’s director of animal resources, said a dozen shelter residents were sent to temporary foster homes to wait out the worst of the cold weather.
While most of the organization’s canines are kept in sheltered kennels with both outdoor and indoor space, she said, precautions are taken to make sure all of the remaining residents are kept warm.
“We lock them in their kennels at night with fluffy blankets and ensure all our heaters are on and in working order,” Johnson wrote in an email.
Contact Bailey Diem at bdiem@alligator.org. Follow her on X @BaileyDiem.
Bailey Diem is the Spring 2025 Metro Editor and a second-year journalism major. She has spent past semesters reporting for the university and metro desks. In her free time, Bailey enjoys playing guitar or getting lost in a book.
