This winter has seen freaky weather strike from coast to coast, with arctic temperatures in the Midwest, heavy snow in the Northeast, and even a winter storm in Hawaii.
But a warning from the National Weather Service to pet owners in Ohio and Pennsylvania is just weird enough to make headlines of its own.
As the states braced for wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour on Tuesday, the weather agency issued an unofficial "small dog warning."
Hold on to your Pooch!...We have an unofficial "Small Dog Warning" Wind Advisory for northern #Ohio and NW #Pennsylvania this evening through Wednesday. Wind gusts 45 to 50 mph! A few trees may be blown down. Scattered power outages possible. #OHwx #PAwx #ThisIsCLE #CLEwx #NWS pic.twitter.com/9Az5E991cZ
— NWS Cleveland (@NWSCLE) February 12, 2019
"Hold on to your pooch!" the agency wrote on Twitter, while also sharing that the storm could blow down trees, knock over power lines, or carry away trash cans.
While the post was meant as a joke, small dogs really have been known to get carried away in storms. And we don't just mean Dorothy's dog Toto, either!
A storm in Michigan in 2009 carried a six pound Chihuahua a mile away from his home. Thankfully, Tinker Bell was alive and well when her owners finally found her.
The Humane Society does recommend bringing dogs indoors when the wind starts to howl, but that's mainly because they're prone to running away and getting into trouble during bad weather.
While the states were battered by the harsh winds, there were thankfully no reports of dogs - or houses - being carried away by the storm.
[H/T: Today]
