I don't really know that much about fertilizing roses in zone 8 this time of the year, but you're not going to starve your potted rose bush if you don't fertilize it now.
It'll just slow down. Any new growth will be fine.
If you must apply something, a light fertilizer like Miracle Gro or a similar water soluble generic applied at half strength will supply any fertilizer needs right now without promoting new growth that might be lost.
I've come through South Georgia in December and it was downright frigid. You can't use last year's weather to determine what to do with your plants this year.
Prepare for the worst. Doing so won't hurt the roses.

I agree with Karl. I'm close to you in the upstate of SC and if you want to feed a light liquid fertilizer for the fall bloom you should be fine. It's too late for me up there but where you are it shouldn't be an issue.

If you are in zone 8b where cane damage is uncommon, I doubt there is anything to be concerned about. Just don't overdo.

If you have clay soil and have applied a good deal of organic fertilizer across the season, there may be adequate nutrients in the soil for another 6 weeks. If you have sandy soil, monthly fertilizing might be advisable except in winter.

All guidelines of this sort are relative to climate and soil type.

Yes, I would say I am definately in zone 8b, and if we get that cold its one or two days then back into the higher temps. I mean, we usually see one or two days below twenty all year. And add to it that the plants are close to the building...ok. SO one more light fertilizing may be in order. I think it might be and I do have some liquid Miracle-Grow here onhand. I think that even if the new growth gets killed off the rest would be safe as it is hardier and older....I think sometimes I am worrying too much, but how do you learn if you don't ask? I am an expert in dog hair, not roses. I can grow dog hair like mad, and feel like I can learn to do the same in roses, but not without driving everyone around me mad in the process!

Here is a link that might be useful: Average temps

The key word is "average." This by no means indicates what the temperatures might be on any given day. Roses growing in the South are not acclimated to colder temps so a cold themperature that wouldn't affect a rose bush in zone 5 might cause severe damage to the same bush in zone 8.
It seems that each year a cold snap in the south results in many posts on this forum requesting advice on the care of cold damaged rose bushes.
Perhaps this year will result in average or above temps all winter?
I hope, for your sake, this holds true.

Send us a picture of all that dog hair growing on you or in your garden. That must be quite the sight!

WHICH is why I was asking questions Karl. I don't want to do something that would lead to more trouble than is expected.

And in my garden at home we DO have dog hair in the mulch, mixed in. It keeps away the rabbits from the veggies! I myself am covered in dog hair 90% of the time...I groom 5 or 6 days a week, so it happens!

I promise not to come and ask for help if the freeze happens to kill off some of the roses. :) I just cannot remember a long enough stretch of cold weather HERE in years. Our lowest last year was 19 I think. for one night, and the roses here at the shop were not affected. They stayed green. Not sure WHY, unless its due to the location being near the building, but they did.

Nothing you do in anticipation of possible cold damage to your roses would lead to more trouble than is expected.
Michael's comment regarding adequate nutrients in the soil for another 6 weeks is true so if you opt not to do anything to the roses or to do what you wish, you should not have any problems.
Even if you should get an unexpected freeze and your bushes get damaged, they'll recover after you remove any damaged canes. Chances are the only damage that would occur would be on any tender new growth.
You didn't mention you were a dog groomer which led to my comment after you stated "I can grow dog hair like mad."
Guess my feeble attempt at some humor fell short!
Dog hair mixed with the mulch can be a great deer and rabbit deterent.
Close proximity to a building can help plants during a cold spell due to daytime heat buildup radiating off at night and any micro climate created in the area. That could very well be the reason your bushes stayed green.

Please do ask for help if freezing temps cause damage.
My comment was meant to show that freeze damage can and does occur in south Georgia, into Florida, and other southern states and it happens most every winter. It was not meant to admonish anyone or stop people from asking for help.

Yep I too don't always go "by the book " rose growing I do sometimes fert after season to certain seem growth (aka pushing em) at a smaller fert amounts. I use the first frost as a guide as a nope no more at all. On first frost day I use any remaing compsot tea as "the glass of milk" befor bed time for all my roses. If they die from over fert then ohh well I live and learn, but I have had no problems as of yet including those roses that need winter protection

I wouldn't disagree with karl at all it does get a tad cold in them parts example 01/78 a freeze in Florida orange groves send OJ prices to a record high in our areas. Prior to there first harvest and up to this small harvest there where some waiting lines for OJ. Off the record New England gets hit with a record breaking snow fall of 96 inches in 72 hours this same year, with a final snow fall of 16 inches on Easter Sunday in areas some even more. We just freeze for longer periods of time.

" the book " doesnot grow my roses.............. I do

HEY! I remember the blizzard of 78! We were stationed at Ft. Devens. We were on I-128 right before it shut down coming back from Logan where my Mom was on the last plane out the day it hit! And I DO remember freezing our butts off on Easter when we were trying to go to church in our Easter clothes, NOT meant for cold weather!

Karl, I aplogize if I was mean, but yesterday was a bad bad day all around! I may have been taking it out on the wrong person.

I think, looking at my roses this morning, my concern is that I did NOT fertilize enough this year. I admit, when I first started I was kind of lax, thinking that the miracle grow I used was sufficient. When I realized that we were lacking in some nutrients I DID switch to a time released fertilizer reccomended by the nursery. It made a huge difference in their growth and I realize now I should have done it all along. SO since I was lax I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to do one more....sigh...or MAYBE I am overthinking again, as usual.

Unless applied constantly, the liquid Miracle Grow is not a substantial fertilizer. It's liquid form is meant to be taken up quickly by the plant. It's best used as a tonic or "pick me up," not as a long lasting food. Organic or slow release fertilizers are best for making nutrients available for long periods. The Miracle Grow and similar generic products will work if applied often at half strength. This way they supply a constant source of nutrients. Otherwise you get growth spurts followed by no or little growth until the next application.
While trying to find the perfect easy way to fertilize, I tried diluted water soluble urea, which is the main ingredent in Miracle Grow and similar products. Using a fertilizer injector every time I watered. I dissolved a 40 pound bag of urea in a 40 gallon barrel of water and injected that solution at 200 parts per million.
The roses grew really well with lots of blooms. When doing this I had to cut my grass every 3 days to keep it manageable.
The fertilizer injector restricted the water flow meaning I'd have had to increase the number of watering zones to make sure everything got watered. In my condition, this was an impossible task so I went back to organics by hand.
With the increase in oil prices, urea prices increased also so it got expensive to continue the practice but the roses responded well to it. To avoid the previous mentioned growth spurts it had to be applied each time I watered. With my sandy soil, that was every other day, or two bags of urea a week for eight hours of watering eight zones. I can fertilize with my organic mix for quite a bit less and it helps the soil in the process.

Actually, the maintenence of nutrition at a steady level makes sense to me, but I can also see how it could be hard to acheive. I mean, nutrition is key to growing coat on my cockers for show as well as maintenence and regular grooming. Read into roses, fertilizer, soil, watering and pruning. :)

I guess trial and error is the only way to find out what works. DARNITALL! LOL I was hoping someone would have the magic answers. The container gardening folks seem to think that constant feeding with a liquid is the way to go, every watering fertilize lightly, but I can see how that might work but might not depending on the plant........I am back to being totally confused.

I will make a decision and stick to it! I will!

Roses really do like a slow sustained fertilizer to really be at their best in the garden. Try time release fertilizers like some of the 6 - 8 month osmocote formulas. There are organics that work well over time too and frankly I prefer those.

As Karl mentions for me the key to healthy roses is healthy soil. Compost, mulch and organic fertilizers and soil conditioners. Applied maybe twice a year to keep the work load down.

BTW. DO NOT use time release this late in the season - even where you are. You can use them in a climate where you never get a frost.