SAGINAW, MI -- Saginaw County Animal Control officers got little sleep and nearly suffered hypothermia Friday as they slept outside overnight to bring awareness to what animals endure in the cold.

"Maybe next time we'll do a different experience, maybe a hot vehicle," Saginaw County Animal Control officer Anthony Trevino said, laughing. "If I did it again, maybe not as long, because it was quite brutal."

Each of the three officers had to endure different conditions Friday, Jan. 12, from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. the following day, at Apple Mountain.

Trish Barnes slept in a dog house with blankets and a chain around her neck, Joaquin Guerrero slept in a dog house with straw and Trevino slept with no shelter.

Barnes tapped out around 9:30 p.m., as the heavy chain around her neck not only wore on her muscles but also brought additional cold, Trevino said.

Trevino and Guerrero made it through the entire time.

Trevino had a close call around 6 a.m., when his body temperature was recorded at 95.6 degrees, or just barely above levels of hypothermia, he said.

That temperature reading came after he slept for about an hour -- the only sleep he got overnight, he said. He awoke with stiff muscles and sore bones.

"I was probably at an eight or nine pain level," he said. "My body was ready to give up on me."

With just two hours left, Trevino decided he'd stick it out. He started walking around to get his body temperature back up, he said.

The low overnight was 11 degrees.

As important as it is to give dogs an appropriate outdoor shelter, Trevino said the experiment also showed the importance of not tethering dogs with heavy, metal chains and making sure dogs have enough leash to run around and raise their body temperature.

Should a dog be outdoors, Trevino said a dog house with fresh straw in and out of the shelter should be provided, as well as a heated water dish, so the liquids don't freeze.

The experiment was a group effort between Saginaw Animal Care and Control, Project Underdog and Destination Imagination.

Fifth-graders from Hemmeter Elementary recorded the officers' heart rate, temperature and other data every 30 minutes, said Josh Brown, team manager for Destination Imagination. The data will be compiled to let the public know what temperatures are unbearable and the rate at which it happens.

Trevino got home Saturday morning around 9 a.m. and said he's looking forward to a good day's rest.

"I'm sore, exhausted and ready to sleep in a warm bed," he said.