Dogs dealing with deep snow--share your stories here!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Over in this thread, Stillwell Angel’s photo of “Dogs looking for a shallow place to pee” made me think this might provide a moderately entertaining idea for Snow Day MPSIMS.

We had about 8 to 12 inches of snow here in Decatur yesterday, and the wind left it in huge drifts, leaving our backyard looking very similar to Stillwell Angel’s. Daisy the Beagle, on her first foray this morning, went exactly as far as the bottom of the back porch, refused to go any further, and left her calling cards right there at the back step.

Well, we can’t have this.

So I went out there later with snow shovel and big boots, and tramped a path through the drifts out to the garbage cans on the alley and back. Then, since she’s Vice President in charge of all trash-taking-out, and is federally mandated to be present at all such procedures, I got two bags of trash and called her. “Outside? Wanna go out?”

“Sure!” She leaped out the back door, scampered down the steps, and floundered into the path, such as it was, snow still belly-deep on her, preceding me as per S.O.P. Obviously unhappy about it, nevertheless she soldiered on (“Garbage Is Task One!”), all the way to the back, while I dumped the trash, and then took her place once again in front of me for the trip back to the house.

And she got about 1/4 of the way back, when she just…sighed…and lay down on her belly in the snow, just went “whoo” and all four legs folded up under her, right there. And she looked up and back at me. “Well?”

So I got to lug a 22 pound dog all the way back to the house.

I expect to find calling cards at the bottom porch step for the duration. At least the back yard’s a south-facing exposure; the snow will melt first there.

2

Our snow is only a few inches deep here but it has been bitterly cold. My dog hates the cold, and has been known to roll onto his side as if to say, “I give up. I die now.” This morning when I took him out it was something like 13 below. We were out for about two minutes when he began to limp and whimper and I had to rush him back inside.

Now, before anyone accuses me of being an asshole dog owner, I would like to point out that we do feel bad for him and recently bought him booties to wear outside. When we brought them home, I proceeded to try to put them on. It went like this: Put bootie on front left paw while getting licked constantly. Move to front right paw. Dog begins to whine. Finally get bootie on front right paw. Proceed to back right paw. Left front bootie comes off. And so on, and so forth. It took me holding the dog down and my husband strapping on the booties for us to finally get all four on at once. By the time we got to the front yard, they had all come off. I haven’t tried to put them on since.

3

:slight_smile: Luckily my dogs are quite large and while there are places in the yard that are 4 foot or better, there are also windblown spots that still show grass. The German Shepard gets around quite well but my bassett/shepard mix with stubbier legs has to bunny hop in some areas. They seem to be loving it though.

4

I wonder if Robeez would work on dogs? They’re the only baby shoes that human babies and toddlers can’t seem to figure out how to shake.

My mom’s current dog is a standard dachshund. Problem with doxies is that their willies precede then, downwardly speaking. Even if his big wedge shaped chest clears the snow, his penis is a popsicle in about 35 seconds!

She has to shovel for him, and he gets a special wintertime dispensation to poop on the patio.

5

What kind of dog do you have? I’m thinking a Pomeranian named Mr.Muggles or something like that with the amount of pampering and wimpering going on at the Yellow house. :smiley:

Our Rhody (Rhodesian Ridgeback) Grissholm (we’re CSI freaks) Griss for short; loves the snow. He plowed into me when we were in Vermont last month and tackled me into a snow mound. I proceeded ot chase him and dump him in the same mound. It was hilarious!

6

My beagle apparently thinks the snow is the most wonderful thing ever, and is doing quite well with it, for the most part. He keeps whining to go back outside and play in it. He likes to leap into the drifts and bury his head and upper body in the snow so that only his tail and back legs are uncovered.

Some parts of the yard have an icy crust that he likes to run around on, but somtimes he breaks through and sinks. Then he panics, struggles back out, and starts running on the crust again. He’s not great at learning from experience.

7

This is my 8-year-old boxer’s first winter up north-- she was born and raised in south Florida, so this whole snow thing is just amazing to her. She loves it-- running in it, rolling in it, eating it, etc. However, yesterday the massive amount of snow here (Chicago) was just too much for her. There were times where she jumped without realizing how deep the snow was; it would be up to or over her head and she’d freak out and struggle to climb out as fast as possible. She seems to be somewhat amazed by the current depth, and blowing, of the snow. Well, as much as a dumb dog can actually be amazed by anything.

Happy

8

Had a dog as a kid in NW Indiana that when outside on icy cold sidewalk would lift left front and right rear paw and vice versa gecco style so only 2 paws would be touching the ground at any given time.

Later, living in coastal Carolina, got a puppy during winter. We got a freak snow of 20 or so inches. Pup hopped along behind me into my footprints - print to print while outside to find a place to do bidness without getting engulfed. Cutest thing!

9

He’s a Peskimo, actually. The people we got him from said he was 1/2 pug, 1/2 eskimo. I think he’s at least 3/4 big fat baby. He is damn cute though. His name’s Weezer but he also answers to “Buddy.”

WhyNot, those shoes are adorable! I bet they’re a lot easier to put on a toddler, though. Toddlers don’t lick you while you’re trying to put their shoes on. Wait … or do they? :smiley:

10

A Peskimo, well now there’s a new one for me! Ultra Cute, must admit. :slight_smile:

11

Yeah, beagles is different creatures. Quincy, the older beagle, is…different. He’s a beagle that’s the unquestioned alpha dog and Tricolored Overlord of the Universe. He’s the sleepinest beagle and bevore Nordberg (AKA: Rocketdog) came into the house, he’d get up for his daily walk, look outside, and decide that it was a good day or say “fuck it” and head back to bed to hibernate. Now that Rocketdog will walk in any weather, Quincy has to go out and get his, too. Quincy has been known to pull someone to the car if he wants to go outside, but doesn’t wanna go through the hassle of a walk
Quincy is also the same dog that marked territory with his poo. Yeah, he’d shove his butt up into a bush and drop a turd on the branches about a foot off the ground. He’s also the first beagle ever to crap on a fire hydrant. No, really, he backed his ass up and dropped cable around the upper ring on the hydrant. I love that animal.

12

When we got Polaris as a puppy, in January, two years ago, she was only a few inches tall and weighed 1.5 lbs. She had never seen snow and was very unpleased at its existance. When I took her outside, she would climb up on to my feet to avoid contact with it.

I had to scrape a bare spot with my shoe before she would go about her business. Luckily, she was tiny and so her “sniffing circle” could be a small one.

The next winter, it was so entertaining to watch her. I let her out on morning after our first big snow. She ran out the door, and skidded to a halt on the porch. She danced a bit, and threw a look back at me in confusion. She sniffed the white stuff under her paws and then light dawned. I could actually see a change come over her. “Hey! I remember this stuff!” She cautiously stepped off the porch and paced a bit. Then, in one of those lighting-quick changes of heart one sees in young dogs, she suddenly decided this stuff could be a lot of fun.

She ran though the yard-- no-- tore is a better word, her had down as if enjoying watching the show fly up from her churning paws. At one point she floped down on her side into a large drift where she rolled for a moment, her feet dangling in the air before leaping back up to run-and-slide across this wonderland.

This year, she seems mostly indifferent to it. I’m a bit dissapointed.

13

Gomez, also a beagle, likes to decorate bushes too. He comes up along side the bush or whatever and lifts his leg as if to pee, but then puts his leg down while simultaneously rotating his rear toward the target. Before you know it the bush is festooned with merry, smelly beagle doots.

That fire hydrant poop demonstrates a level of artistic ability that Gomez can only dream of.

14

My two shepherds adore snow. They love to have it flung on them while I’m shoveling. My black shep once got ahold of a “hockey puck” of frozen water out of their outside dish and had a ball nosing it around the back yard.

My smallish terrier (from Florida originally - like me!) wasn’t so keen on it. She quickly learned to follow behind the big dogs and use them like a snow plow :smiley:

The schnauzer hates it.

VCNJ~

15

My poor little puppy hates the cold weather. Her biggest problem is that she is so short. The top of her back is only about 6" off the ground and she has little short legs so her belly hits the snow all the time when she is outside. I feel so bad for her because she loves to go out but then remembers the snow at the bottom of the steps and slips around everywhere. I did get her to play, and it’s cute because she was a black face and she buries it in the snow. When she comes out it has snow stuck all over it and she just jumps and seems to have a lot of fun.

Now if I could get her to stop fake-shivering. She knows it gets her some attention, so if she hears someone say cold she starts shaking. Of course, she will play in the snow for hours without shivering at all, but the slightest mention of cold in a 70-degree house sends her into fits.

Brendon

16

These wonderful stories remind me of my (late) Mom’s (also late) peekapoo, Ralph. That little bugger was so spoiled! How spoiled was he? I was living in Atlanta going to grad school eating tuna while that little thing was living with my Mom eating sirloin. She had a picture made of the two of them - when she hadn’t had one made with me since I was five!

I was visiting home one weekend and Ralph needed to go outside. I went to the door and opened it to let him out. It was raining (we don’t get much snow in Georgia) and that little punk refused to go out. I told Mom - who instructed me to take him outside myself with an umbrella!

Rotten dog. In my next life I want to come back as my Mom’s dog - or as one of my cats.

17

My dog Sasha loves snow. She’s a big hairy shepard/collie looking mutt, and she throws herself on her back and rolls around in it, shoves her head under mounds and then runs around with her face all snowy, bites and eats it, etc. It’s the happiest she ever is, really, playing in the snow. She hates summer.

She came out with me when I was shoveling today. When I laid down to rest in a drift, she got all worried, ran over to me, and started hitting me with her foot, repeatedly, until I got up. It was like she was concerned that I had expired and that was unacceptable. “Get up, damn you woman, get up! You can’t leave me out here! GET UP!”

18

Princess usually loves to frolic in the snow, but at the end of November we had about 10 inches of snow (the most I’ve seen since I was about 7 years old). She made about 3 bunny-hops into the snow, then quickly turned around and headed back to the house. She has been inside for too long already so I picked her up and set her down in the middle of the yard. She was not happy.

19

Our dogs are ok with it. I think Kiara likes it more. Sierra is getting too old to go through the dog door but she will go out to do her business. My parents dog Abbey who is a West Highland Terrier has to go all the way up to the corner of their yard to do her business. When we’ve had storm after storm my Dad had to make a place for her to “go” near the driveway into the yard. Her poor wittle paws can’t take the snow. She isn’t spoiled at all! No way. :smiley: I’m sure hubby loaths the day he has to get all the poop picked up.

20

My childhood dog, a minature dachshund, died 2 years ago this April. He was always kind of a wuss when it came to winter. Here’s one memory that springs to mind; it was really cold out (we’d just had a snowstorm) and he a mild case of the runs. So he went outside (actually we had to carry him out) and did his business he sat down. Then he started barking and struggling, but didn’t get up. The poor guy was frozen to the ground :eek: . We had to bring out warm water and poor it over his rearend to get him unstuck. He looked very unhappy about it, but it was kind of funny :stuck_out_tongue: . I feel :frowning: now.