YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Animal welfare officers and advocates have been especially busy during this stretch of brutal cold. For as dangerous as it can be for us humans, it can be just as deadly for our four-legged friends.

"We started our week on Monday with 78 calls," said Mary Louk with Animal Charity of Ohio. "We were getting a call every six minutes at some point."

At least one of those calls came too late.

"Unfortunately, we have found at least one deceased dog that we believe died from the cold," Louk said.

Mahoning County Dog Warden Officers and humane agents found a Rottweiler in a kennel behind a home on Amberly Drive in Austintown with his water bowl completely frozen and his back leg clearly hurt.

"His feet are either sore, burned, or they could just be starting to freeze from walking on the ground," said Sean Ryan with the dog warden's office.

On another call, authorities took three dogs from a home on Bennington Drive in Youngstown.

Louk believes many of these cases are caused by people's misconceptions about how dogs cope with this extreme cold.

"Maybe 200, 300 years ago before we domesticated them, it might've been a different situation," she said. "However, we have domesticated them and they're not built for this type of weather anymore."

Louk has found one encouraging aspect of getting so many of these kinds of calls; it shows people care.

But there's something even better than phone calls.

"The best, fastest, most efficient way to report it is to use our website animalcharityofohio.org," said Louk. "We need an exact address. You have to give us a decent description of what you're seeing."

That saves crews time and allows precious seconds for animals that are in danger.