It's that time of year, the leaves are almost done falling, the time has fallen back an hour, and some parts of the country are looking forward to freezing cold temperatures. (Like me!)

Now's the time to snuggle up in front of a fireplace with a warm Yorkie on your lap. But before you settle down to your long winter's nap, take some time to learn how to keep those animals as warm and comfortable as you are.

Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their pets are just as accustomed to the warm shelter of the indoors as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for extended periods of time, thinking that all animals are adapted to live outdoors. This can put their pets in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.

Keep your Yorkie inside as much as you can when the temperature drops. If you have to take him out, stay outside with him. When you're cold enough to go inside, he is probably too.

If you light a fire or plug in a heater to keep your home warm, remember that the heat will be as attractive to your Yorkie as to you. As your dog snuggles up to the warmth, keep an eye out to make sure that no tails or paws come in contact with flames, heating coils, or hot surfaces. Pets can either burn themselves or knock a heat source over and put the entire household in danger.

Keep an eye on your Yorkie's water. Animals that don't have access to water are more likely to drink out of puddles or gutters, which can be polluted with household cleaners and other chemicals.

Go ahead and put a sweater on your Yorkie. Pets lose most of their body heat from the pads of their feet, their ears, and their respiratory tract. The best way to guard your animals against the cold is keeping a close eye on them to make sure they're comfortable.

When you're outside with your Yorkshire Terrier during the winter, you can watch him for signs of discomfort with the cold. If he whine, shiver, seem anxious, slow down or stop moving, or start to look for warm places to burrow, he is saying he needs to get back someplace warm.

Winter can be a beautiful time of year. It can be a dangerous time as well, but it certainly doesn't have to be. If you take some precautions, you and your pet can have a fabulous time taking in the warm, glowing fire at the end of the day.

Great advice! Thanks, Janine!

On the subject of heat, does anyone know where I can get heating pads?

Hi Marilize, I bought about 8 Beurer heating pads (imp fr Germany) at a company called Stingray in Maitland, Cape Town.

You get 2 models, 1 switches off automatically and the other stays on. It is a fantastic product I cannot go without, especially if I have puppies.

They measure about 30cm X 40cm.

Thanks, I'll contact them! I found their website at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I was lucky to get one from my mom because i searched high and low mine is like a square foot size