Fact check: Old photos of dogs in snow accompany false claim that pets froze in Amarillo, Texas

Bayliss Wagner, USA TODAY
·4 min read

The claim: Photos show many animals froze to death in Amarillo during winter storm

During mid-February's winter storm, which brought the state of Texas its second-coldest week in recorded history, temperatures in the city of Amarillo dropped as low as -11 degrees — over 30 degrees below its historical average daily lows for the month.

On Feb. 14, a Facebook post drew attention to the way animals were affected by the crisis in Amarillo.

The post, which has been shared over 6,000 times, features several photos of dogs seemingly frozen to death under piles of snow, claiming that “this is the kind of crap happening in Amarillo." The user later clarified that the photos were not taken in Amarillo, but said, "Either way there have been lots of animals found frozen all around town" and urged users to send donations to the personal PayPal account of an animal rescuer linked in the post.

Neither the user, nor the owner of the PayPal account responded to requests for comment.

What happened to stray animals in Amarillo during the cold snap?

The user's claim that dogs and other animals were "found frozen all over town" during the cold snap appears unfounded. Neither the Amarillo Animal Management and Welfare Department nor the Potter County Sheriff's Office received any calls of animals frozen to death, they told USA TODAY.

"We at the Department of the County Sheriff's Office have not seen any abused animals due to the weather this past week," said Potter County Sheriff Brain Thomas.

However, Amarillo Animal Management and Welfare, as well as local nonprofit shelter Gracie's Project, said they responded to increased requests for welfare checks of animals during the winter storm.

Gracie's Project founder Lorette Tebeest described the shelter's efforts in advance of the temperature drop to provide shelter to stray animals.

"(Gracie's Project volunteers) were out for three days straight from 9 or 10 in the morning until dark every night, trying to give out dog houses, straw... and picking up dogs off the streets that were hurt or cold."

She says on a typical week, they take in 10 dogs, but that during the week of the storm they took in 44. Some had been hit by cars that slid in the icy road conditions, she said.

Dogs and cold weather

The writer of the post called owners of huskies who left their dogs outside "wrong and heartless." Another Facebook user argued with her, saying "there's nothing wrong with leaving double-coated dogs outside."

While it is true that huskies have extra insulation from the cold, veterinarians recommend that dogs be kept inside when possible.

It is also illegal to keep dogs restrained outdoors and unattended in temperatures below freezing, according to Texas statute 821.077.

People magazine reported on Feb. 18 that a Houston man who left eight dogs outdoors for several days — one died— was charged with animal cruelty.

Viral photos not from Texas

As the user clarified on Feb. 16, the photos of snow-covered dogs were not taken in Amarillo.

Reverse image searches on the photos also reveal that all but one of them had circulated widely years before the weeklong cold snap that began around Feb. 8, and that they likely originated far from Texas. The first photo is a stock photo from 2019. The second and third both appeared on the Sled Dog Action Coalition Facebook page in 2019 and 2020, and the third seems to have been taken by a photographer from Krasnodar, Russia. The fifth photo appeared on a German blog in 2013.

USA TODAY could not identify the origins of the fourth photo for certain, but it was also used on Facebook on Feb. 14 to claim that dogs were freezing in the city of Detroit.

Our rating: Partly false

We rate this claim PARTLY FALSE, based on our research. The user acknowledged that the photos in the post are not from Amarillo, Texas, as initially claimed – thereby obviating that aspect of the rating. But it is false to assert that animals froze to death around Amarillo during the recent winter storm. Local authorities confirmed that part of the claim is not true.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Old photos falsely claim dogs froze during Texas snowstorm