HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - On a chilly December morning last week, Jamie Carlton was at C.T. Garvin on Holmes Avenue, loading bales of hay into the back of her pickup truck. She stuffed them next to a dog house and a sack of dog food.

She has four dogs (and three cats), but the supplies weren't for them.

Carlton is something of a guardian angel - or a one-woman rescue squad - for outdoor pets that don't have warm shelter.

She works 10-hour days as a nurse in the mental health sector. In her free time she drives around town, looking for dogs that are chained outside without adequate shelter. She knocks on the owners' doors and offers them a free dog house and straw to keep their dogs warm.

It's the kind of touchy subject that can get peoples' backs up. Carlton admits she's been cussed out a few times.

But she has a friendly, down-to-earth demeanor that makes her the kind of person who can approach strangers with a non-judgmental offer of help - and it's usually accepted.

"Nice gets you farther than anything else," she said, "and that's what I try to be."

On the few occasions her offer is refused, she thanks the pet owner and leaves. Sometimes she'll come back for a second try. Sometimes it works.

Chained in winter

While there are many organizations set up to help rescue abandoned animals, Carlton saw another set of animals falling through the cracks: those who have owners who don't know how or don't have the resources to properly care for them.

"Especially in winter, the dogs who are chained outside are the ones who tug at my heart the most," said Carlton. She doesn't like the idea of dogs staying chained up in a yard all the time, but found that providing owners with a dog house and clean straw was a small thing she could do.

She takes donations of used dog houses and supplies, and clean straw, from anyone willing to donate.

"I really don't like taking money from people, so most of the time I'll tell (people offering to help) if you'll just call somewhere like Garvin's or Earth Touch and buy some straw, I'll come pick it up," she said. Clean straw costs around $5 per bale and is particularly important during the winter months because it helps insulate a dog house.

"Most of the dogs I come in contact with are pitbulls or pitbull mixes chained outside, and they have thin skin and fur," said Carlton, "so they really need something to keep warm."

Earlier this year she posted a request for supplies on the Lost and Found Pets - Huntsville/Madison County Facebook page and found an enthusiastic group willing to help.

"I was so overwhelmed (with the offers of donated items) I had to turn off my phone because it was dinging all night long," she said. "In this town, if there's an animal that needs help, people will come forward with anything they have to help you. They're just fantastic. It's amazing."

A man and his dog

A few weeks ago, she got a voicemail from a caller who knew of a man, newly homeless, who had a puppy and needed assistance.

Carlton went out to meet the homeless man and his puppy, a pitbull mix that looked like 'Petey' from The Little Rascals. The man had found him abandoned in a parking lot, had taken him in and named him Chopper.

Chopper's new owner was a young guy, clean cut, who'd lost his job in construction just three weeks previously and his apartment shortly afterward. He had no family who could help him, and his car had broken down.

The man was living in a tent because he couldn't take Chopper with him to a homeless shelter and wouldn't think of abandoning him. He told Carlton that sometimes, Chopper was the only thing that kept him going.

Carlton knew exactly what he meant.

"Being in the mental health field," she said, "I know that sometimes an animal can be better than any therapy you could have."

He asked if she'd be able to get Chopper a dog house and some straw. She did. And her family was also able to provide him with other items he and Chopper needed, like an air mattress, food, warmer clothing.

But she soon realized he and Chopper could use more help than she was able to provide. So she turned to the folks in the Lost and Found Facebook group, posting a request for specific items including a tarp and some storage bins.

Within minutes, comments flooded in with further offers of dog supplies, monetary donations, and even leads on construction jobs. The post had 124 comments at last count.

"I'm still sitting here just dumbfounded," she said. "The puppy has sweaters, leashes, a harness, food. I have a gentleman who donated a bicycle to help him get back and forth to jobs, and asked to donate money to pay his cell phone bill and help him get back on his feet."

Nothing official

Carlton is not the kind of person who enjoys the spotlight, preferring to work behind the scenes and to highlight the generosity of the people who donate items so she can give them to others.

She feels overwhelmed, sometimes, with the magnitude of what she's trying to do. After all, donating items is one thing; it's another to be the person driving all over town, picking them up and getting them to the animals that need them.

"I didn't start this to be anything official," she said. "I'd just be riding down the road and see a dog who needed help. I can't just sit back and let them sit out there in the cold."

Her experience has taught her, she said, that people - from those who donate items to the pet owners who accept the items - basically have good hearts.

"Sometimes they just need a nudge to come out and help."

Cold Weather Care for Pets (from the AVMA)

-Cold tolerance can vary form pet to pet. Short-haired pets feel the cold faster because they have less protection, and short-legged pets may become cold faster because their bellies and bodies are closer to the ground.

-Don't leave a pet outside for long periods of time in below-freezing weather. Like people, cats and dogs are susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia; their fur does not protect them from these dangers.

-If you can't bring a dog inside during cold weather, provide him or her with warm, solid shelter against wind and access to fresh, non-frozen water. The floor of the shelter should be off the ground and bedding should be thick, dry and changed regularly. Avoid space heaters and heat lamps because of the risk of burns or fire.

-You'll probably need to shorten your dog's walks in very cold weather.

-Give your pets some safe sleeping options to allow them to vary their sleeping place to adjust to their needs.

-Very young or very old pets, or pets with medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease, may have a harder time regulating their body temperature.

-Check underneath your car and bang on the hood before starting the engine in cold weather. Outdoor cats are attracted to a warm vehicle and can be injured by the fan belt when the motor starts.

-During a walk in snow, sleet or ice, a dog's paws may pick up antifreeze, de-icing cheimcals or other toxic substances. Wipe down or wash a dog's feet, legs and belly to remove these chemicals.

-Snow and ice can hide recognizable scents, meaning it can be harder for pets to find their way home. Make sure your pet has a well-fitting collar with up-to-date information and/or an microchip with updated registration.

-Cars can cool rapidly in cold weather. It's dangerous to leave a pet in a cold car, just as it is to leave a pet in a hot car.

--Courtesy of The American Veterinary Medical Association