NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- On bitter cold days and nights, Metro Animal Control officers are on the move, answering neglect complaints and looking for animals left out in the cold.

Video: Cold Weather Increases Animal Neglect Calls

"During winter months and being as cold as it is, we've seen an increase in calls with animals with no shelter left outside with no food or water," said Billy Biggs with Metro Animal Services.

At one east Nashville home, a dog was chained in the back yard, and he wasn't leaving willingly.

"I think he's just scared, mainly scared," said Bruce Gilmore with Metro Animal Services.

Animal Control officers came to this house on Friday after a neighbor complained. The dog had no food or water. The only shelter was underneath the house.

And in south Nashville, the owners of another dog just packed up and left.

"They're living animals," said Biggs. "They have feelings. They hurt like we do."

Leaving an animal outside without shelter is against the law in Metro and the state.

"It is a crime. You could be charged with a state charge of animal cruelty," Biggs said.

Officers said no pet should be without a place to call home. That's why inmates at the Davidson County Sheriff's Office Offenders Re-Entry Center are helping to build doghouses.

"There's a win-win, because the offenders that are with us, we're trying to socialize as well and prepare them for release, and that release may mean get up and go to work every day and be a productive member of this community," said Sheriff Daron Hall.

The sheriff's department is able to build these dog houses due to a grant from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Animal Control officers said if you see an animal being neglected, don't hesitate to call.