It never fails! Every January it seems that something happens with my truck that I end up having to work on it during the arctic weather that falls on us here in Ohio. Jan/Feb are the coldest months here as today it was 2 degrees this morning! Anyway, Last year the alternator went in January, the year before that the Idle intake valve went in January, and TAAAA DAAAA one week ago, right on time, the thermostat in the cooling system quit working causing the engine to overheat. Terrific, now stop everything and fix the truck. Being the consummate DIY guy (because I hate paying for something that I know I can fix myself) I set out to change the thermostat. (Asking yourself why is he talking about fixing a truck and not pets? Patience, I'm getting to that part!) Setting everything up and waiting for the truck to cool off for a couple hours, I was at least able to get the temperature to a nice 60 degrees in my garage before tearing into the engine. The first thing I had to do was drain the ANTIFREEZE which is always a pain and creates a mess no matter how careful you try to be. Well, draining the antifreeze from the truck, I spilled some on the cement, then I realized that the small hose fell out of the bucket and antifreeze ran all over the floor. Not thinking much of it I threw some Zorb-All down and finished repairing the truck. I finished, pulled the truck out of the garage so I could clean up the floor, and let Butch outside. As I watched him trot past the antifreeze puddles and go outside, it hit me. I remembered that antifreeze can kill your pet if it drinks it. The particular smell of anti freeze attracts them and they WILL drink it, in some cases. Butch generally will not sniff around on the garage floor because of the dust and salt that the tires drag in everyday. He has learned he will go into a sneezing fit if he sniffs around in the garage. I counted 12 in a row once. Researching this I found that as little as 1/2 teaspoon can kill the average size cat and 8 ounces can kill a 75 pound dog. Ethylene Glycol, which is the substance in antifreeze that is highly toxic and dangerous to your pet. I found that they are now making antifreeze out of propylene glycol which is about 1/3 as toxic. Prestone and other companies now make a "Low Tox" antifreeze with propylene glycol which is less harmful to pets and the environment. There is also an initiative to add taste inhibitors to antifreeze to deter pets and animals from drinking it. If you suspect your pet has drank antifreeze call your vet immediately. There is also help from the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center 24/7 at (888) 426-4435. This is just one more incident in everyday life that might slip your mind when watching out for your pet.