Dog found chained outside suffering in the deadly polar vortex; owner charged

On Tuesday afternoon, a Brooklyn Center, Minnesota man was cited for animal cruelty after his dog was found chained outside in the bitter cold.

The dog owner had left his pet on a short chain in temperatures that dropped to 9 degrees below zero.

At around 3 p.m., Dang Xiong’s dog was found chained up outside in extreme weather. The canine was shivering on the short chain outside according to police officers.

The authorities also found vomit nearby and very little food and water inside the dog’s exposed shelter. Xiong, 29, was cited with a misdemeanor offense according to the Brooklyn Center Attorney.

Officers seized the dog and cited its owner with inhumanely, unnecessarily, cruelly beating, injuring or abusing an animal. His fine could be a penalty of up to $1,000 in the state of Minnesota.

The canine was taken to the Pets Under Police Scrutiny (PUPS) center in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The animal impound facility caters for several towns in the area.

Xiong had left the dog outside during the dangerous polar vortex which has the US in its grip with temperatures that have reached below zero. Since Tuesday, the vortex has killed at least 13 people.

Minneapolis’ mercury has plunged to as low as -24F. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) urged animal owners to bring them indoors in cold weather conditions.

Their website warned:

"Remember, if it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your pet, so keep your animals inside. If left outdoors, pets can freeze, become disoriented, lost, stolen, injured or killed."

On their Facebook page, PUPS wrote:

“If it’s too cold for you outside, it’s too cold for them. Like people, cats and dogs are susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia. Please bring them inside!”

The police have reiterated the plea to keep pets indoors during this extreme weather.

On the same day, Indianapolis police reported that a man had left his dog outside to die as temperatures dropped to 11 degrees below zero. The 62-year-old allegedly threw the pit bulls body in a dumpster.

Kristen Lee of the Indianapolis Animal Care Services said, "It’s heartbreaking. I have a knot in my stomach talking about it right now.”